Digimon Inferno
by BlackHawkNova
Summary: The Fire Digimon are ravaging the Digital World and it's up to a group of humans and their element-wielding partners to overcome the odds and save the world. Mixture of OCs and official Digimon, but mainly OCs.
1. Episode 1: A Desperate Move Part 1

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 1: A Desperate Move (Part 1)

A shadow passed over the forest, as the light from the setting sun was blocked by an immense figure. Standing atop the cliff was a Digimon, his armoured body glittering, his great shield mounted on his back, his gauntlets poised for attack. WarGreymon let back his head and bellowed. This would have been a majestic sight, but the pained, bestial sound that escaped his jaws, combined with the menacing aura around his eyes, made it clear that everybody near was in danger. WarGreymon leapt high into the air, his claws gathering energy.

Beneath him, the forest lay, already wilted and charred from various fires. Digimon within it tried to flee, leaving their homes and their belongings in a desperate bid to save their own lives. WarGreymon's eyes burned with a greater fury, his gauntlets glowing white from the growing ball of energy. As he lifted it high above his head, it grew to the size of a small house, pulsating with atomic energy.

"Terra Force!"

* * *

An alarm pierced through the silence. From beneath the covers came a moan, followed by a hand. After waving about, it clapped down on top of the clock, but only succeeded in knocking it off the bedside table. The clock carried on beeping.

"Bloody hell."

Slowly the person beneath the covers lifted himself up, stopped the persistent clock, and forced himself out of bed. He was a moderately tall youth, about fifteen years old, with aqua blue eyes and sandy coloured hair that pointed every which way.

Aaron dragged himself into the bathroom, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Nights of online gaming and Facebook were doing him no favours, he decided. He brushed his teeth, before stumbling back to his room and changing into a T-shirt and shorts.

Something wasn't quite right. He looked at the clock, which, being a cheap plastic contraption, was sporting a slight crack on one side. Ten to seven. His alarm had gone off as normal… except it was a Saturday. He'd got up for nothing. Aaron let out a sigh. Well, now that I'm up, he thought, may as well do something productive.

A few minutes later he had gone back to sleep. Being productive could wait a couple of hours.

* * *

The forest was beginning to heat up, as the flames from WarGreymon's attack began to spread. A couple of Woodmon were trying to escape the oncoming blaze, but with one of them missing a leg it was hard work. His companion was urging him on, supporting him with his strong, wooden arms.

Suddenly, a flaming gauntlet smashed through the injured one's face. The second one shrieked, before he was impaled on a gauntlet of his own. Their horrifying screams faded into electronic noise, and their bodies disintegrated into iridescent particles. WarGreymon roared, and spun round looking for more runaway Digimon.

"Stop."

The beast looked up to where the voice came from. Standing atop the cliff was a shadowed shape, staring down WarGreymon with three, glowing green eyes. Behind him, and all along the cliff, were countless other fire Digimon: Boarmon, Lynxmon, Shadramon, Tyrannomon; all with the same wild eyes and dangerous aura of WarGreymon. Only the shadowy figure remained unaffected.

"You were given your orders. Find and destroy the targets. Now go."

WarGreymon growled in acknowledgement, and the shadowed figure watched him sprint off into the woods, the faint glow betraying his location. The figure smiled. It would soon be all over, and they could put this little issue behind them. Turning around, he addressed the Digimon behind him, who were all baying for blood and destruction, "As for the rest of you, I don't want to see a single leaf from this forest left intact."

He slowly walked away from the cliff edge, back through the bloodthirsty crowd, as the real devastation began.

* * *

The small Digimon ran through the forest, his feet breaking twigs on the forest floor. He needed to hurry, it wouldn't be long before either the flames caught up with him, or WarGreymon did.

The Digimon was called Velocimon, and he looked like a bright yellow-green, two-legged lizard, with metallic bands around his arms, legs and tail, a large green crest adorning his head, and blue-tipped feathers sticking out from his elbows and the back of his head. His eyes contained the kind of determination seen only in those of soldiers. His claws were clenched, in what would have been a fist if they were more flexible, and on his forearms were two gauntlets, on each of which were mounted two, faintly glowing gun barrels.

Velocimon powered through the forest, his muscular legs carrying him over the rough ground with ease. Behind him he could hear the cries of anguished Digimon, and looked back despite himself. He stumbled, cursing as he tried to get back on his feet. His voice, quiet as it may have been, alerted something nearby. Before he could escape the area, a huge creature thundered towards him, slicing into trees as it came. It broke into the clearing and stood, tall and imposing, before the much smaller Rookie level.

It was like a purple-skinned human, wearing various pieces of cloth and leather. Across its shoulders and arms was brick-red armour, square plates tied on with rope, and its face was obscured by a red samurai helmet. Like the rest of the possessed Digimon, it had blank, distorted eyes, and in its hand it held a huge, flaming sword.

Velocimon tensed himself, aware he couldn't outrun it now.

"Damn."

Musyamon released a feral growl. Suddenly it ran towards him, its flaming sword held high.

"Shogun Sword!" Velocimon leapt out of the way as a dragon-shaped flame crashed down where he was standing, turning the leaf litter into ash. He raised his arms, his clenched hands pointing towards Musyamon.

"Spark Shooter!" A flurry of sparks erupted from the gun-barrels on his knuckles, tearing into Musyamon's lower arm. It flinched, before turning and slashing at Velocimon. The lizard leapt back again, firing another shower of sparks.

The ground underneath Musyamon suddenly gave, making it stumble and flail wildly. At the same time, a shape flew out of a nearby tree, holding what looked like an oversized handgun with seven barrels.

"Bracken Helix!" it cried, firing a miniature vortex of seeds from its weapon. The seeds impacted on Musyamon's sword-arm, where they sprouted roots and formed a thorny band. Musyamon howled and dropped his own weapon, giving Velocimon the time to get to his feet. He knew the drill from here. Running towards the shogun, he leapt onto its chest, impaling his claws through the cloth armour and purple flesh.

"Spark Shooter!" he cried, his teeth gritted, while sparks flew out of his hands and straight into Musyamon. The beast gave one last roar before disintegrating.

The shape that had saved Velocimon landed alongside him. The newcomer wore a helmet and armour, but strangely enough it was made out of smooth, hard wood. It had small ears and a rodent-like face, and it carried its oversized gun holstered on its back. That gun was made of wood as well.

"Thanks for that, Pikamon, he caught me off guard," Velocimon said, giving the rodent a fist-bump.

"No problem. We're meant to keep an eye on each other." Pikamon grinned, a buck-toothed smile that betrayed his excitement, despite the imminent danger.

"Besides, I've got Trilomon to thank for tripping him up. Gave me just the opening I was looking for."

From beneath the ground, another voice struck up, this one quiet and child-like, "You're welcome."

Velocimon smiled, before his face turned serious again, "We've got to get moving again. There's more than just Musyamon out there. We'd better split before we're found by something else."

Pikamon nodded, and fired a vine out of his gun, catching onto a tree branch. As he was pulled up, he called, "See you at the meeting point. Try not to bring any unwanted company with you!" He stuck out his tongue before he disappeared into the canopy.

Velocimon couldn't help but smile again. No matter what the situation, Pikamon never seemed to take it seriously. Very different to his own ways, he thought, but perhaps for some levity was the way to deal with these things. Beneath him, he felt a faint knock; a reminder from Trilomon to get going. He set off again, heading out from the forest. Behind him, another roar was heard, followed by the distant sound of trees crashing to the ground.

* * *

"Aaron! You may want to come down soon, or you'll miss out."

The smell of bacon wafted its way towards Aaron's nose, as he hoisted himself out of bed for the second time that morning. He still felt exhausted, but the incredible seductive powers of bacon gave him the strength to get ready. The sun shined through the window, illuminating his face as he opened the curtains. He blinked, his wild hair partly blocking his vision. He brushed it aside, before donning a thin red beanie.

"I've told you before, Aaron; don't wear that in the house." Aaron's mother was already flustered, in a hurry to get breakfast out before her dance class. Aaron reluctantly obliged, removing the offending headpiece and sticking it on the end of the stair banister. He sat down at the table, where his sister Jasmine was busy reading some magazine.

She piped up, "You know, you really have no fashion sense." She turned the page, her eyes skimming through the articles.

"Well, at least I have common sense, that's better than nothing."

She gave him an unimpressed look. "Implying?"

"Nothing in particular, Miss Money-Through-The-Washing-Machine."

Her face turned a slight tinge of pink. "I wasn't thinking. I forgot it was in my jacket pocket."

"Ten pounds, was it?"

She glared at him. Aaron stuck out his tongue, and she returned the gesture. Their mother's voice came from the cupboard, "I can hear both of you, you know.

She cracked a couple of eggs. "So what are you planning for today? It's lovely weather outside, and I don't want you playing games all day."

Aaron fiddled with an elastic band that was in his pocket, winding it round his fingers. "Actually, I was meeting some friends for bowling this morning, about eleven."

"That's okay then, just text me when you're coming home." She placed the three breakfasts on the table, pulling up a chair herself. Aaron thanked her and dug in.

* * *

Sunlight illuminated his body, glinting off of his metallic bands, as Velocimon finally escaped the forest. He was tired, but he didn't show it, standing alert. In front of him was a yawning ravine, which was spanned only by a dangerously thin rock bridge. Velocimon remembered the voice telling them the location of the meeting place; it was the other side of this ravine. He looked around, but could see no sign of any other Digimon, wild or friendly. Slightly worried, he squinted across to the other side.

The rodent Digimon landed beside Velocimon, startling him. "Well done, you're here. Now let's go already."

Velocimon turned to face Pikamon, "You go over. I'm going to wait for the others. You go too, Trilomon."

Pikamon tapped his foot on the ground, twice. From nowhere, the ground opened up, and Trilomon revealed himself. He was insectoid, and about the size of a terrier. His whole body was covered in brown armour, and he held himself up on bleached, bony claws. The tip of his tail tapered to a bony blade, and his eyes were a bright, emerald green. "I'll see you over there," he said optimistically, his voice like a child's. He started clambering over the bridge, making quick progress.

Pikamon turned back to his partner, "We've got to go now. You know we're being followed, and if the bridge is broken we'll have no way of getting across.

"But the others haven't come yet. Everybody needs to be here, that's what we were told."

"We'll need to have faith they'll come later. Come on, Velocimon, we need to go now."

"You go; I'll just be a minute."

Pikamon grabbed him. "I'm not leaving you behind tjust so you can get killed. Not after everything we've gone through. This is no time for you to be stubborn."

Velocimon sighed. "You're right, let's go." Pikamon grinned at him as the two started crossing the bridge.

They had barely gotten halfway across the bridge when the forest behind them exploded. Velocimon was knocked over by the shockwave, and even the steady-footed Pikamon stumbled briefly. Trilomon had already reached the other side. Looking back he saw something he didn't want to see. With a huge roar WarGreymon burst out of the inferno, his eyes burning with a feral lust for destruction. He saw the two small figures on the rock bridge.

Velocimon and Pikamon were on the run again. This was not part of the plan. Nobody had expected WarGreymon to get here this quickly, and as Rookies they stood no chance against his attacks. The only plan was to run. Velocimon glanced back, while making a steady run for the other side of the ravine. He glimpsed WarGreymon's eyes, and saw the aura darken. WarGreymon had come to kill them.

"Faster," Velocimon yelled, "we've got to get off this bridge."

"I'm on it." Pikamon had pulled out his gun and scoured the landscape in front of him for a suitable anchor. Seeing a large rock embedded in the ground on the other side, he pulled the trigger.

"Thorn Tendrils!" A cluster of vines shot out of the barrels, forming a rope that kept extending from the short gun barrel. They shot towards the rock, digging into the ground around it and securing their place.

"Nova Force!"

In an instant Velocimon and Pikamon felt the intense heat, and violent shuddering of the bridge, as it was swallowed up by the burning tornado behind them. "Hold on!" Pikamon grabbed his partner and flicked the trigger on his gun. The vines rapidly retracted, pulling the two away from the onslaught, as the rock beneath them crumbled away. It was a close race, but even at full power Pikamon's gun wasn't pulling fast enough to outrun WarGreymon. Pieces of bridge, glowing red hot, were flying out of the tornado, some coming dangerously close to hitting the two.

"Agh!" Velocimon heard Pikamon's cry before they careened off course, struck by a shard of bridge. They hit the very edge of the cliff, a long way off from their target. Velocimon felt Pikamon slip out of his grip, as the rodent was pulled along by the retreating vines. The cliff face shook and Velocimon felt his feet go off the edge. Frantically digging his claws in, he looked below; he was dangling some three-hundred feet above solid ground. Trilomon rushed towards his partner as Pikamon, vines retracted fully, struck the rock, gritting his teeth as the sharp spasm of pain went through his head. He slumped.

"Trilomon, hurry!" Velocimon tried to hoist himself up, but before he could do so, and before his friend could reach him, the wildly careering tornado impacted with the side of the cliff next to him. The ground shook, knocking even Trilomon off balance. Great cracks appeared in the rock, and pieces fell off, plummeting into the chasm below. Velocimon felt his claws shifting. Beside him, WarGreymon, unaffected by the impact, turned to see the struggling dinosaur. He charged towards Velocimon, roaring in fury, as the rock in Velocimon's claws crumbled away and he started to fall.

"Barrel Drive!"

Even the mighty Mega-level flinched as something shot down from the sky and struck him square in the eye. For a split second he saw what looked like some sort of bird, before it disappeared, having flown away at an incredible speed. Furious, he turned away from Velocimon and looked around for his mysterious assailant.

"Snow Blast!" Velocimon felt resistance as he fell. Looking up, he saw his right claw encased in thick ice, already melting from the scorching heat, but holding for the moment. Digging his left claw into the rock again, he looked above him and saw his rescuer; a light-blue, canine Digimon with huge ears, a thick, bushy tail and a dark red pelt adorning her back. "Vulpimon!"

"Hurry and get yourself out of there. I'm not sure how long Perimon can keep that guy distracted."

Velocimon pulled himself up the rest of the way, steadying himself at the top. Looking around, he saw the huge dragon swiping and firing energy into thin air. Perimon, a red falcon with hardened wings and a bronze helmet, was keeping him busy, constantly speeding out of the way when WarGreymon tried to land a hit. Perimon was an incredibly skilled flyer and surprisingly strong for a Rookie, but he was beginning to tire as the relentless giant kept on.

* * *

Pikamon came to quickly. He stood up, holstering his weapon. He turned to look at the cliff face; thankfully Velocimon was okay and everyone was safe. Except that they weren't; Pikamon knew they couldn't stop the mighty dragon, unless they used the power of the elements. None of them knew how to do that safely.

Pikamon took a step towards the group, collapsing to his knees as he felt a sharp pain. He glanced down at himself. He was bleeding; a thin stream was coming out of a large cut in his side. That was the place where the shard of bridge had hit him; it must have cracked a couple of ribs, as well as doing more damage he couldn't see. He saw particles of data floating away from his body; slowly, but noticeably. He could tell he wasn't going to get through this; his wound was too severe. He ignored the pain and got up, running towards the group. If he couldn't finish the mission, at least he could give the others a chance to.

"Everybody get away from the cliff edge. Head to the meeting point, you know where it is."

Everybody hesitated, with the exception of the still busy Perimon, but Velocimon signalled for Trilomon and Vulpimon to go. Reluctantly they headed into the woods, glancing back worriedly. Velocimon walked towards his partner, who was standing on the edge. "What are you doing?"

"I got hit pretty badly. I won't make it, so I'm going to bide you some time."

Velocimon grabbed him, "You can't. We were told that all the elements needed to be there. We can escape from here and fix you up and – "

"And what?" Pikamon turned to him. "WarGreymon won't stop. Neither will any others if they find us. We'll just keep being chased across the Digital World until we're all killed off. No, you need to escape from here while I kill this thing."

He turned back to the dragon, "Besides, the elements are incredibly powerful. You might still be able to open the rift, so long as most of them are there." Turning back to Velocimon again, "I'm just glad to have gotten this far. At least I can go out with a bang."

Velocimon sighed and looked down at his feet. He knew Pikamon was making sense. He just prayed that the other elements had made it to the meeting point as well. He looked up, removed his claw from Pikamon and held it out to him as a final gesture. Pikamon smiled, and gave him a fist-bump.

"Perimon, get away from him!"

The bird heard this cry and looped around, heading back towards the cliff-face. WarGreymon, disorientated, tried to find him, his eyes finally settling on the cliff. Perimon had landed beside Velocimon.

"What's Pikamon doing?" Perimon was breathing fast and could hardly get the words out. He was sporting scorch marks on his wings and helmet.

Velocimon's solemn eyes answered his question. Perimon whirled round, screaming, "No, Pikamon, get away from there!"

He tried to take off but Velocimon stopped him, "No, leave him. There's nothing we can do for him now." The bird struggled as Pikamon calmly touched his chest. His flesh seemed to ripple with the touch, before he pulled it away, holding a tiny, green orb. Perimon's eyes widened. It was the element of Wood.

Pikamon smiled as he felt the heat emanating from the great beast. Pulling out his gun, he loaded the tiny sphere into the compartment, before shaking it. He felt the power emanating from his hands, invigorating him, giving him the strength for one last attack. WarGreymon rushed at him, gauntlets burning. Pikamon braced himself, rocking backwards and holding his gun with two hands. He took aim at the fast-approaching dragon.

"Bracken Helix!"

Out of the barrels of the gun came a huge swarm of tiny seeds, smothering the Mega level entirely. He was blasted back by the sheer numbers of pellets. Then he began to fall, his flight interrupted by the vines that grew around his body. Hundreds were burning off into ash but the volume of pellets hitting him was too much for him to handle alone. He crashed into the ground, where more seeds fixed him in place. Despite his best efforts he couldn't struggle free. He roared up at Pikamon, who simply smirked, "Right where I want you."

With the gun depleted and a good chunk of elemental energy used up, Pikamon tensed himself. He glanced back at the two Rookies behind him, saluting them, before he jumped over the edge.

Velocimon and Perimon ran to the edge of the cliff to watch. Pikamon felt his strength depleting due to the speed of his fall and his rapidly disintegrating body, but he stayed strong. He wanted to be conscious for his final blow. He threw his weapon downwards. It shattered WarGreymon's chest plate, the impact making it glow, making the Element of Wood within it awaken with its true power.

Pikamon aimed himself for the dragon, twisting his body in the air. The creature was beginning to break his bonds, lifting his head and roaring once again. Pikamon grinned, "Not today." He crashed into WarGreymon's helmet, denting it and making the dragon roar with pain. Perimon flinched from the sounds of bones breaking, and Velocimon pulled him back, unsure of what was going to happen. WarGreymon, weakened, lifted his head again, in time to see the rapidly pulsating gun embedded in his chest. The element of Wood exploded.

It was greater than anything WarGreymon had thrown at them. Velocimon and Perimon ran away from the cliff edge as it crumbled away into the chasm, just before a huge column of green energy erupted from the bottom, shooting straight up into the sky. Velocimon could smell freshly cut pine, and felt a cool breeze on his face. The two waited, staring, until the column died away. There was nothing. The air was still. The sounds of panicking Digimon in the forest behind them had ebbed away. Obviously the blast had scared everyone off.

Velocimon released Perimon who flew back over, Velocimon following him. The chasm was blackened by WarGreymon's attacks, but at the bottom where the blast had been strongest was completely clean. All the ash and rubble was gone, leaving an impossible smooth wall. At the bottom lay the body of WarGreymon. His armour, his helmet and gauntlets were all irreparably dented, and steam was coming out of his eye sockets. He was just an empty shell; he had been completely obliterated by the blast. There were vines growing over the carcass and up the chasm walls, complete with leaves and flowers. The still air was scattered with hundreds of flower petals, catching the sunlight and dancing. It was a beautiful image.

There was no sign of Pikamon's body. Velocimon and Perimon bowed their heads in respect. A moment later, they set off after the others.

* * *

"There was nothing we could do."

The four Digimon had been silent for the past few minutes, staring at the fire that crackled before them. It left dancing shadows on the walls of the cave, the very same cave that they had been told to meet. That was when all nine noble warriors were still around, of course. So far they had already lost Pikamon, and there was no sign of any of their other comrades coming.

Velocimon was sat poking the fire, occasionally firing in a spark or two to keep it burning. Vulpimon was sat a little way away, also watching the flames. Trilomon had curled up in the corner, unwilling to join with the others. Perimon was the most active, pacing up and down and frequently staring at the cave mouth, watching for any sign of oncoming Digimon.

"You know, we might still have a chance. The rest of the elements might be powerful enough to open the rift."

As Velocimon spoke, Perimon glanced back, glaring at him. "Maybe it would have come to that if you let me save him."

"He was wounded. He told me he wouldn't last much longer."

"But you didn't even try!"

"It as hard for me as it is for you, Perimon! Pikamon was my partner, and we looked out for each other. The two of us were fighting Surtremon's army long before we were all called together."

"You haven't got a clue, have you? I've seen three of our partners die now thanks to Surtremon's forces, and every time it's been because I've failed to save them."

Velocimon glanced up, as did Trilomon. "Three?"

Vulpimon shifted uneasily. "We should have told you earlier. Chromon fell shortly after we all left, and we lost Placomon when she was trapped by Cephalomon. We haven't heard from Ladomon and Colchimon for a long time either."

Velocimon snapped a stick he was fiddling with from the fire. "Damn. Now there's no way we're going to open the rift, even if we tried."

Perimon snapped. Lowering his head he lunged at Velocimon, sending him sprawling. "I'm sick to death of your apathy! We're in the middle of a war and our friends are dying. How can you just brush it off? Do you care at all, or are you just playing the tough soldier, who accepts the death of his partner as a "noble sacrifice"?"

Velocimon wiped his cheek, a trail of blood coming away from where Perimon's beak had struck him. He glared back at the bird. "Your attitude isn't helping the matter either. And besides, I don't remember you caring this much about the others. Not until it was your family under attack."

It was a low blow. Perimon screamed, "You bastard!" He lunged again, but Velocimon was ready. Grabbing the bird's shoulders he threw him to the ground, where the two tussled, biting and kicking. Trilomon backed up against the cave wall, frightened by the violent outburst.

"You two, stop it!"

A blast of snow swept over the two, slowing them to a stop. Vulpimon sat back down. "You may not like each other very much at the moment, but regardless we still need to work together. Now sit down and shut up."

Begrudgingly, Velocimon and Perimon moved back over to the fire. They sat, occasionally giving each other dark looks.

Vulpimon broke the silence again. "So what are we going to do now?"

Velocimon sighed. "There are only four of us. That's not going to be enough to break through the rift, which was the original plan. So that's no good."

Perimon raised his head. "Perhaps we could use the power of the elements ourselves to fight back against the army? You saw how Pikamon used it."

Vulpimon shook her head, "It's only a limited amount of energy in this form. It would run out before we could use it effectively."

The three stared into the fire again. They were rapidly running out of options. The cave walls seemed to be pressing in on them, providing no help with their impossible predicament.

"Guys, look!" Everybody glanced at Trilomon, who had gotten to his feet (claws?) and was pointing to the cave entrance.

Everybody followed his gaze. "I don't believe it," said Vulpimon. A smile played across Velocimon's face, and Perimon give a little crow of delight.

There, hovering near the mouth of the cave, were two very similar Digimon. Both had long, serpentine bodies that ended in tapering blades. One of the two was white, with golden bands surrounding her body and wings of blue-white feathers. The other was the slightly larger of the two, with a hooked beak, black markings on a dark-grey body, and large, bat-like wings that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. Both had stones embedded in their foreheads; one light blue, the other a light purple.

The two slowly shuffled in. They were covered in small scratches and burns, and the larger one was supporting the smaller one, keeping her upright with his wing. They were Ladomon and Colchimon, the twin warriors of Light and Darkness.

Colchimon lifted his head, and smiled at the assembled Digimon, "Sorry we're late. We ran into a little trouble."

* * *

"So you're saying we're the only ones left?"

Since the night air was beginning to chill the cave, the members of the group were now all huddled around the tiny flame, (with the exception of Vulpimon, as her element meant she was unaffected by the cold). Ladomon and Colchimon were intertwined; Ladomon was still weak from her injuries, although they weren't fatal, and Colchimon was supporting her.

Perimon nodded, "It's just us." He had calmed down from his earlier outburst, and had settled down, eyes half-closed. In truth everybody was tired, but now wasn't the time for rest.

Ladomon lifted her head, "So can we still use the elements to break through the rift?"

The other Digimon looked at each other. Nobody knew the answer to that.

Velocimon scratched his chin, "We really needed all nine elements to break through. I'm not sure six will be enough. Although," he looked up at the two serpents, "Light and Darkness are the two most powerful. They might just tip it."

Colchimon straightened up, untangling himself from his partner. "It's worth a shot. There's really nothing else we can do."

The six Digimon all nodded in agreement. They would give it a try.

Velocimon stood up, "Right, the first step is to find this rift."

"Way ahead of you." This came from Trilomon. "The rift is between the Digital World, the real world and the interface, so they must all coexist on the same plane. Therefore the digital plane will have been affected." He pointed one of his claws at the wall. "The rift will be at the place where the digital structure is at its weakest, or the place where all the cracks on this wall meet up."

Everyone stared at the little insect. He shifted, lowering his head. "…or something like that."

"No, you're right." Colchimon looked at the wall and then back at Trilomon, giving him a wink. If the little insect could blush he would have gone scarlet by now.

"Okay, so the rift is here, but how exactly do we open it?" Vulpimon asked, as the six gathered around the cracked wall.

Ladomon thought for a moment, before saying, "Perhaps we should just release the elements and see what happens. Maybe they'll handle it automatically."

Everybody nodded; it seemed like the best idea. They released the tiny spheres of light from their bodies. Each one was a different colour, and had a symbol etched into it, despite being made of pure energy. The spheres rose up, and positioned themselves around the centre of the cracks. If there had been four other elements there, they would have formed a complete circle.

Slowly, the group of elements began to rotate, forming a ring of light. There was complete silence. Nothing was happening. The group waited ten, twenty, thirty seconds. Still nothing happened.

Then, just as Velocimon was about to turn away and give it up as a failure, everybody heard a noise. The sound of a rock chipping, followed by another, and another. The group looked closely as they saw more cracks, miniscule but visible, forming where the ring was spinning.

The wall blew open. With a sudden rush of data, it split into chunks of rock, spinning and colliding with each other. Behind the wall seemed to be a void; an endless chasm around which the digital world shaped itself. The elemental ring fired a beam into the void, where it was swallowed up. The whole cave seemed to twist and bend with the power of this rupture.

Then suddenly, nothing. The wall had closed completely, and was now a completely smooth, unbroken surface. The ring of light slowed, faded, and split into the six elements, which all returned to their keepers. There was no sound, and the only light came from the dimly flickering fire.

Vulpimon broke the silence, "So, what now?"

Trilomon answered, "The signal needs to reach the real world. Once it forms a link, it will bring the chosen children here." He looked at the now smooth wall, "However I think opening the rift has shifted its location. There's no telling where they'll enter the Digital World. "

"Well then, we need to be there for them when they arrive." The others turned to face Velocimon, who had a small smile playing over his jaws. "We've done what we needed to. We've summoned the humans. We may need to protect them when they come. But with their help, we can finally turn the tide of this war."

* * *

Breakfast had been a somewhat rushed affair, with Aaron's mother running late. While she fumbled around looking for her shoes, Aaron went back upstairs. He wasn't meeting up with his friends for another half hour, and he was already bored. He checked his phone. No texts or Facebook notifications. "Bye you two! Love you!" his mother called, before he heard the door shut.

The screen flickered briefly. But he thought nothing of it. Just a small glitch. He pocketed his phone and wallet and headed downstairs. "Where are you going?" said Jasmine, as he headed for the door.

"I may as well take a walk down to the town. Maybe I'll have a look round the shops." He shrugged, as she poked her head round the door.

"If you're going, could you pick me up a copy of Hello please?" She tossed some money at him, which he pocketed.

"Sure, I'll see what I can do. I'll see you later."

"Bye, have a good time."

Aaron grabbed his hat from the banister and left. Jasmine rolled her eyes. "I swear half the time he has no idea what he's doing," she mumbled to herself.

Aaron headed down the path from his house that led to the park. The sun was out, but the wind was beginning to pick up, whipping the tree branches to and fro. He turned into the park, a spring in his step. There were a couple of kids playing football, and an old man walking his dog the other side. The path ran alongside a play-park, in which two younger children were playing, a girl and a boy. Somebody else was leant up against the gate, dressed in a long, dark-grey raincoat. He looked up as Aaron walked past, but said nothing.

"Aaron! Hi!"

Aaron looked up, surprised. Walking towards him was a girl his age, with long, red hair and large, emerald green eyes. She wore a blue jacket over a stripy T-shirt.

"Hi Eloise. You're up early." Aaron knew Eloise from school; in fact they'd been in the same class since Year Three, and they knew each other well.

" Well, I was supposed to be meeting friends to go shopping," she looked around, letting out a sigh, "but you know Gabrielle and Emily, they're never on time for anything."

"I was headed out too, going bowling with a couple of mates."

"Maybe I could join you instead," Eloise chuckled, "at least then I'd actually get something done today."

The wind was picking up again, whistling through the trees. Over the other side of the park, the dog was barking and snapping at something. A young man walked out of the other entrance to the park, a laptop strung over his back.

"Can I ask you something?" Eloise subtly gestured towards the boy in the raincoat, who was checking his phone. "He's been standing there all morning. I think I recognise him from somewhere, but I can't remember where."

Aaron looked. Now that she mentioned it, the boy did look familiar. Perhaps he had been at school, although Aaron didn't remember seeing him often. What was his name? Kieran? Colin?

"Why don't you ask him?" He glanced back at Eloise, but she was no longer looking at him. Her eyes were on the children in the play-park, who were clutching their ears. The girl was shouting for the boy to come to her, despite him only being a few metres away. Despite this he didn't respond. He didn't seem to be able to hear her, and his eyes were clenched shut.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Eloise called over, but her voice didn't register. The girl suddenly dropped to her knees, letting out a scream. The boy with the laptop looked over, and the boy in the raincoat looked up from his phone. In the distance the dog kept barking, and Aaron could hear more dogs starting up in the surrounding houses. The wind was faster now, the whistling growing louder.

"Agh!" Eloise put her hands up to her own head, gritting her teeth. Before Aaron could ask her what was wrong, he felt it too. The whistling turned into a high-pitched screech. He felt a sharp pain in his head as the noise persisted. It was like a kettle whistling, but it sounded almost electronic, almost alien.

The boy in the raincoat, teeth also gritted from the noise, shoved his phone in his pocket and turned to look over the fence. His eyes focused on the children, as if he had just noticed them. He yelled something, but the noise was too great for Aaron to understand what he said. At this point the boy with the laptop was staggering; his eyes wide open with shock. Aaron's vision was beginning to blur. The wind had become a gale, buffeting the treetops and making standing up almost impossible. The boy in the raincoat shifted towards the gate to the play-park, and opened it, heading towards the two children.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, something opened. It seemed as if the air itself had been torn apart by some cosmic force, and had become a doorway to a strange, pixellated dimension. It was hard to see, but Aaron immediately felt the portal pulling him, dragging him towards its gaping maw. The boy in the raincoat and the guy with the laptop started running towards the children as they held on to whatever they could to avoid being sucked in. For the boy, the tree branch wasn't enough; it snapped, sending him flying into the portal, where he was lost in a sea of pixels. The girl screamed, but no sound was heard. Aaron, head throbbing, gestured to Eloise to help. They went through the gate and, slowly but surely, reached her, grabbing on to her just as she lost her grip. The boy in the raincoat joined them, but the boy with the laptop, trying to reach them, slipped. Before he could even yell, he too was lost in the portal.

The four remaining children were crouched, clinging on to each other, but despite their combined weight they too were being dragged towards the dimensional abyss. Aaron's head felt about to burst, and he felt his phone and wallet slip from his pocket. All of a sudden, the portal pulsated. It was too much. The four children were knocked off their feet and, one by one, were dragged into the portal. Aaron was the last to go. Scrabbling furiously, he clawed at the ground, but he felt himself being dragged inside. He saw the gate seal up behind him, leaving him disorientated and terrified by the chaos around him. The vortex around him was swirling with colours and shapes, and he lost all sense of time, direction and function. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see or hear, all he could feel was the storm buffeting him. He felt a sharp jolt through his body, like a bolt of electricity. Then he blacked out.

* * *

Back in the park, people were beginning to crowd. Lots of people had seen the disturbance from all around the city, and police had been called in. There was nothing to indicate the children had ever been there, aside from a few scattered items. A couple of phones, a wallet, a watch. Aaron's phone was vibrating. One new text message. From Jasmine.

"Aaron, did u c the sky just now? Weird."

Aaron was no longer there to read it.

* * *

Aaron felt water on his face. He opened his eyes, trying to ignore the nagging pain in the back of his head. His could still hear the high-pitched screeching ringing in his ears. He sat up, carefully, and took a look around himself. He seemed to be on a beach. It went on for miles each way, and the only sound was the constant lapping of the waves. It seemed to be late evening. Confused, Aaron shut his eyes. Then he pinched himself. Then he opened his eyes again. The beach remained where it was.

"I've tried that. I don't think this is a dream."

Aaron looked around at the voice. Standing next to him was a girl. Aaron blinked. It was the same girl that had been in the park. She looked about twelve years old, with hazel eyes and chestnut hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a knee-length pleated skirt and a green sweatshirt that looked about two sizes too big for her, with which she was fidgeting, playing around with the sleeves. Her eyes were glistening, but her expression was firm, if a little confused.

Aaron stood up himself. She gave him a little smile, "My name's Grace."

"I'm Aaron. So do you know where we are?"

"Sorry, I don't. I'm trying to find my brother, but I haven't seen anyone else around here."

Aaron recounted what had happened in his head, "Well, six of us came through, so they should be here somewhere."

They set off along the beach, unsure as to where else to go. Grace was quiet for the most part, simply looking around her for her lost sibling. Aaron himself was worried about Eloise, but more urgently, worried about where the hell they were. Nervous, his hand went to his pocket, where he found the elastic band from that morning. He wrapped it around his wrist. At least it was something familiar.

The two trekked on, until Aaron spotted something. He nudged Grace and pointed. There, in the distance, were four tiny, but distinctly humanoid silhouettes. Grace yelled "Jack!" before running towards them at a surprising speed. Aaron followed her, his feet pushing up sand behind him. Now the others had noticed them, and were waving and calling to them.

The six met up, with Grace throwing her arms around the smallest of them. He was about a head shorter than her, wearing a blue T-shirt and grey shorts, along with a neoprene sleeve around his knee. His hair was blonde and mostly covered by a green baseball cap. Aaron looked at the others. Eloise was there, happy to see a familiar face. One of the others was the boy in the overcoat, about as tall as Aaron, with spiky dark-brown hair and ice-blue eyes. The other was taller and looked older, about seventeen or eighteen. He was dressed in a casual-smart way, with a plum shirt and cream trousers, as well as the laptop held over his back with a sling. He had shoulder-length black hair, olive skin and dark brown eyes.

The boy with the laptop, named Kent, spoke first, "Do either of you remember anything about coming here?"

Grace turned around and nodded, "We were all pulled through that gate thing, weren't we?"

Kent glanced at her, before shaking his head, "Portals don't just open in parks for no reason. Somebody must have brought us here, and right now we're just hallucinating."

Grace looked at him, "So, we're all having the same vision?"

Eloise frowned, "Surely we'd remember something if we were taken. Besides, what would they gain from dumping us all on a beach? And anyway," she glanced around her, "which beach is this?"

The group looked. It was too big and perfect to be a beach in England; that was for sure.

Kent pointed up to the sky, "I don't think the beach is the issue here. Look up there?"

Everybody looked up, and gasped. Hanging in the sky were not one, not two, but three immense moons, close enough to count the craters on their surfaces. Everyone was silent.

The boy in the raincoat, called Kai, spoke up here, much to everyone's surprise. "Perhaps we're not on Earth." He had a faint Scottish accent.

Kent turned to face him, "I told you, it's impossible. We must be on Earth somewhere. We just don't know where."

The young boy, Jack, grinned, "Maybe we've been abducted by aliens!"

Grace sighed, "Why would that be a good thing?" Jack shrugged.

Aaron put his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes, "Well, it's a possibility. We could be on another planet, or perhaps in another dimension."

Everybody mumbled. It sounded incredibly silly when said out loud. Kent sighed, "I think we're jumping to conclusions. The only thing weird about this place is the three moons. I'm sure there are other explanations that don't venture into the realm of sci-fi." He folded his arms. "I just don't believe we can be on another world."

Before Aaron could reply, a strange noise filled the air. A deep, melancholic moaning, similar to a whale's song. The group looked out towards the ocean. There, in the distance, was a swell in the ocean. It grew slowly bigger, and it seemed to be the source of the moaning. Grace grabbed her brother and held him close, and Aaron stepped to the front of the group, watching whatever it was come ever closer.

The swell died down, about one-hundred metres from the shoreline. The group watched, poised. A thin trail of steam wafted upwards from where the swell had been. Then, suddenly, an immense tentacle rose up out of the water. It was bright orange, with a metal cylinder at the end, making clicking noises as it rotated, like the barrel of a six-gun. Eloise yelled, and Aaron and Kai pulled the group back away from the water's edge. The tentacle waved in the air, before bending over and crashing, cylinder first, into the seabed. One by one, more tentacles appeared from the surf, each one with the metal discs at the end of them. They all planted themselves into the sand, looking like some sort of huge rubber spider.

What came next was even worse than that. A torso rose up from the centre of the tentacles. It was humanoid, with plate armour covering the chest and shoulders, and red metallic gauntlets around its forearms. The head was obscured by a beak-like mask, and tentacles flapped down from behind it, waving around in a manner akin to dreadlocks. Great clouds of steam rose from the creature, while excess water cascaded from its immense tentacles. Fully emerged, it stood about as high as a three-storey building. The children could do nothing but stand and gape, as the leviathan turned its monstrous gaze upon them.


	2. Episode 2: A Desperate Move Part 2

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 2: A Desperate Move (Part 2)

The massive creature peered down at the small group, who looked back up with a mixture of terror and awe. The creature shifted, before flinging its head back and letting out another cry. Up close, the cry seemed like many different tones combined into a single melancholic scream, and it resonated through the bodies of the human onlookers. The creature nodded its head forward again, with the slow movement one would expect from such a giant creature.

Kai was slowly pushing the group backwards, and Aaron followed suit, trying to keep them all away. Everybody was still unable to speak in front of the great creature, and they could barely move.

The beast noticed them trying to escape, and lazily lifted one of its tentacles. It brought it down next to the group, digging the barrel into the sand and making the group flinch collectively.

The beast moved another tentacle, before it lowered its main body down from the great height, leaning forward as it did so.

The group huddled closer together. As they got a closer look at the head they picked out more details; the pores beneath the beak, from which they heard a shallow breathing; the hundreds of tiny suckers on the smaller tentacles, and the tubular eyes that moved independently of one another, surveying the children.

The creature stopped moving. It was leaning over them, crouched down so it could see. It still towered over them completely.. Half a minute passed, with no sound except the lapping of the waves and the great creature's breathing. Then, out of nowhere, it spoke.

"You are humans?"

Everyone jumped. A giant sea monster was one thing, but one that could speak? Kent muttered under his breath, "I don't believe it."

Suddenly, Kai stepped forward, looking the creature in the eye. "Yes, we are humans."

The monster looked surprised. Kai carried on, "We've arrived here on this beach, but we don't know how. You're the first thing we've seen since we got here. Is there anything you can tell us about where we are?"

Eloise turned to Aaron, with a mad look in her eyes. "Have I just gone insane, or is he trying to ask the giant squid for directions?"

Both Jack and Grace gave a single, nervous laugh. Aaron looked up at the creature. "Well, if that is actually a giant squid monster, and it can actually talk to us, we may as well try and talk back." At this point Kent was frantically checking his pulse.

Unwavering, Kai looked up at the great beast. Another minute passed. Then the beast spoke again.

"My name is Cephalomon. The world that you have been brought to is the Digital World, a world that runs parallel to the human world you inhabit."

Kai smiled. At least now they were getting somewhere.

"You should not have come here. You are a threat, and I cannot allow you to stay here."

Kai shook his head, blurting out, "Wait, what? We're not threatening you, we're just lost. We don't mean anything against you!"

Cephalomon raised himself back up to his full height, still looking at the boy in the raincoat, before simply answering, "You would not understand. I must get rid of you now. Don't worry, this won't last long."

Kai reacted before anyone else could even register what Cephalomon had just said. He grabbed the two youngest children by the wrists and shouted.

"Run!"

Everyone else stumbled around a bit, before the urgency of the situation hit them and they ran after him. Kai was headed for the gap between Cephalomon's forearm and one of his tentacles. Cephalomon slowly lifted that tentacle and raised it high. He let it fall, the huge metal cylinder embedding into the sand, just missing the escaping humans. Nevertheless, the shockwaves sent Aaron and Kent sprawling, but they quickly got back on their feet and ran after the others.

They regrouped a fair distance away, but kept running. Cephalomon was steadying himself, rebalancing on his six massive tentacles. Aaron turned to Kent, "If we're that big of a threat, why isn't he moving a little more…urgently?"

Kent, breathing heavily, answered, "I think it's used to moving underwater. That's how it got so big. It's not used to moving on land, so it finds it hard work."

The group slowed, all turning to watch. The mighty creature was still balancing itself on its six legs. It lifted its head and turned to face them.

Grace frowned. "Shouldn't it be coming after us?"

The group stopped. They had run inland, but in front of them stood a huge cliff face. There was nowhere they could run to, other than up and down the beach. Yet Cephalomon was standing there doing nothing but watching them.

All of a sudden he lifted one of his tentacles and pointed it straight at the group. The metal cylinder at the end began to click, the many segments starting to rotate. From here the group could see a hole at the end of the cylinder, and it began to glow and let out a horrific sound.

Suddenly Kent yelled, "GET DOWN!"

The group threw themselves to the ground as Cephalomon spoke, "Tentacle Blaze!"

As he spoke, one of his tentacles slipped and he shifted slightly. A huge ball of fire shot out of the tentacle he was pointing. It sailed just over the group and landed at the bottom of the cliff, where it burst into a lake of liquid fire. Terrified, the group got to their feet.

Aaron looked back at Cephalomon, who was re-adjusting his stance. A horrible feeling embedded itself in his chest. If Cephalomon hadn't slipped, and the fireball had hit them, they would all have been killed. This wasn't just a vision; he could feel the heat from the napalm behind him. This was life or death.

Aaron turned to the rest of the group, "We need to get as far down the beach as we can. Maybe if we can lose him then we can find a way inland. Now follow me, quickly!"

He set off, and the others followed him Cephalomon watched them run. He sighed behind his mask, "There's nowhere you can run to." He almost sounded bored.

He crossed his forearms, the gauntlets beginning to glow. Flinging his arms wide, he shouted.

"Flaming Circle!"

The group felt the heat as the huge arc of fire flew over their heads. It embedded itself into the sand, releasing a huge wall of fire right in front of them. Everyone turned round to see the giant circle of fire that now surrounded them. The only place unaffected was the bottom of the cliff; a scorch mark had been left where the arc of fire had hit it. Aaron's heart sank. They were trapped on all sides in a huge arena with a homicidal sea monster.

Cephalomon steadied himself and lifted two of his tentacles at once, barrels clicking menacingly.

Kent was the one to speak, "Everyone, get behind the rocks!"

Everyone looked. In front of the cliff face were huge shards of rock, which had probably fallen from the cliffs themselves. They stuck out of the sand at odd angles, and they were just thick enough to provide temporary cover. Kent immediately made his way towards them, the others following suit. They heard Cephalomon shout again, "Tentacle Blaze!"

Everyone threw themselves forward as the huge fireball just missed them. Before Cephalomon could fire again, everyone had found cover. Grace was holding Jack close to her, and both were visibly shaking. Kai was poised, ready to run again if he needed to. Eloise, Aaron and Kent were all crouched behind a particularly large rock.

Eloise turned to Kent, breathing heavily.

"Please tell me this is some kind of horrible nightmare."

Kent looked down. "I don't know. Right now, I don't know what to think."

Another explosion as a fireball impacted with Kai's rock. Fire splashed around and Kai felt the rock as it vibrated dangerously.

"If we're going to do anything then now might be a good time to do it!" he shouted at the others.

Eloise looked around desperately, her gaze landing on Aaron. "Do you have a plan? Anything? Please!" She began to sob, before slapping herself and wiping away her tears.

Aaron closed his eyes. He didn't know what to do. He'd never done anything like this. Until now he had never even thought he would do anything like this. He tried to concentrate, but he flinched as another fireball impacted, this time on his own cover. He felt the rock vibrate, and wondered how long they would last before they shattered. Was there anything they could do to stop this creature?

"Why isn't he coming towards us?"

The question caught Aaron off guard. He looked up, and saw Grace peering out from behind her rock. She let out a scream and ducked back as another fireball flew past. She cupped her hands and shouted, "We don't have anywhere to go, so why doesn't he just come over here and kill us up front?

Aaron frowned. It was a good point. He turned to Kent, "Didn't you say this thing isn't used to moving on land?"

"I'd guess so. Look at how slowly he's moving. He's probably much more comfortable staying in one place and attacking us from a distance."

"Then what if we got closer to him? As in, right underneath his feet."

Eloise turned on him, "Are you insane? You want to go TOWARDS the huge octopus thing?"

Kent shook his head, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Actually that might be the best idea we have. He's slow enough that we can avoid getting crushed and he can't attack us from under there; not without hurting himself."

Kai ran over, a fireball just missing him. Behind him a rock shattered with the impact.

"Then maybe we can climb on or something. Maybe we can do some damage to his tentacles."

Kent frowned again, "I doubt it. The barrels are in the way. But at least we'd be a little safer. We certainly can't hold out here for that long."

"I have a question. How do you suggest we get under there without being hit?"

There was silence. Nobody had a clue.

Grace spoke up again, "What if someone makes a distraction?"

There was more silence. Nobody knew what to suggest. Aaron sighed. His heart was beating fast, but he held firm. "Okay, I'll make a run for it. Kent, Kai, you head underneath him and see if you can distract him." Kent went to speak but Aaron silenced him, "Eloise, if you stay with Jack and Grace, and keep them safe for now."

Eloise glared at him. "That's suicide and you know it. You can't outrun those fireballs."

"Hopefully he won't have to for long," Kai reached into one of his coat pockets and pulled out a penknife, "It's not ideal but it's the only plan we have."

Eloise started to argue again but Aaron was already poising himself. He turned around. "Wish me luck."

* * *

Aaron ran. From the corner of his eye he saw Cephalomon shift his position, adjusting his aim. Behind him he heard Eloise calling him, imploring him to turn back. He didn't look back, knowing full well the danger of what he was doing. He heard the shot from Cephalomon's cannon and threw himself forward. He felt pain on his right leg as the fireball impacted a few metres away from him. A couple of drops of the liquid fire had splashed onto his leg; it burned like crazy, but he brushed it off, gritted his teeth and began running again. He started to zigzag, trying to put Cephalomon off his aim.

Kai reached the giant first. Cephalomon was so tall that he didn't notice the two humans sneaking up underneath him. Kai lightly touched one of Cephalomon's cylinders, and quickly drew his hand away. He turned to Kent, "They're really hot. Climbing up isn't an option."

"Then what? What can we do to help?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. You can't hold out for much longer."

Both Kent and Kai looked up to see Cephalomon swing his body round. Cephalomon took aim and fired, a huge ball of flames headed straight for the rocks.

"No…"

Kent buried his head in his hands. Aaron's plan hadn't worked. Cephalomon may have been slow, but he wasn't stupid.

Aaron watched as the projectile hit the rock which hid Grace, Jack and Eloise. Already battered from repeated hits, the rock shattered, with napalm spraying in all directions. Aaron felt his heart go to his throat as he saw three figures running as fast as they could. They must have made a run for it beforehand. However now they were out in the open.

He saw Jack running towards him, with Eloise close behind. He yelled at them to find more cover, but was all too aware of Cephalomon watching them. His barrel was raised, charging up again for another shot. Suddenly, Jack stumbled, and fell to his knees. Aaron ran towards him, with Eloise joining them as well. She tried to pull him up, shouting at both of them. Aaron couldn't make out what she said, with the blood pumping in his ears. He turned and saw Cephalomon's cannon pointed straight towards them.

A small clang sounded. Everybody turned, even Cephalomon. A stone had just hit one of his barrels, thrown by Grace. She was standing a way away, another stone in her hand. She threw again, shouting "Leave them alone!"

Another clang.

Eloise spoke, "Why hasn't he fired yet?"

Aaron remembered the situation they were in and began to move, dragging the other two along with him. Cephalomon looked, but they were already out of his aim.

All of a sudden Cephalomon moved his other active cannon, until it pointed straight towards Grace. Terrified, she tried to run, but her legs gave way under her and she collapsed. Sitting up, she saw Cephalomon's cannon pointed directly towards her, spinning at an alarming rate.

Cephalomon fired. Grace flinched, raising her arms, for all the good it would do her.

Jack's cry resonated across the beach.

"GRACE!"

The flames from the impact began to clear. There was nothing left, except a puddle of napalm, where the sand had once been.

For a few seconds there was silence. Each second felt like an hour. Nobody spoke.

Cephalomon turned his head and raised his other cannon towards the three children still kneeling on the sand. Aaron couldn't move. He could only watch as the barrels began to spin once again. Eloise closed her eyes. There was nothing more they could do.

A sudden noise made Cephalomon turn his head once again. Kent and Kai followed his gaze, and gasped. The others looked too, as Grace out of the sand, coughing and spluttering. Jack got up and ran towards her, "What happened? How did you do that?"

Grace tried to speak, but fell into another bout of coughing. Cephalomon was looking every which way. The two teenagers underneath him felt a vibration as he began to growl. All of a sudden he yelled.

"Show yourselves!"

From their scattered locations, the children looked around, but saw nothing. Something felt different though. Eloise pointed and everyone looked. High in the sky, very far away, was a tiny black speck. Before Cephalomon could turn and see, the speck let out a cry, and flew straight towards the mighty beast. As it flew, it called out two words;

"Barrel Drive!"

In less than a second the speck, some sort of bird, impacted with Cephalomon's head. The force made the titan stumble, before he aimed is cannons and fired off two shots at the retreating bird. The shots flew wide, and the bird simply looped out of the way, letting out another battle cry.

Grace finally managed to speak, "They're here to help us."

Aaron turned, "Who're 'they'?"

"I was dragged underneath the sand before the fireball impacted. While underground I heard a voice say "Don't worry, we're here to help you." Then I came to the surface."

Before anyone could answer, another voice sounded from the top of the cliff.

"Cephalomon. Are you looking for us?"

Kent and Kai made a run for it as Cephalomon's growling grew in volume. They met up with the rest of the group and looked up towards the voice. Aaron realised how exposed they were and ushered everyone towards cover, but they weren't in any immediate danger. Cephalomon was fixated on the owner of the voice, his anger rising.

Standing atop the cliff were six creatures, unlike anything the children had ever seen. The strange bird had landed on the far left; a red falcon wearing a helmet and with wings that shone like polished bronze. Next to him were two winged, serpentine dragons with bladed tails, one white with golden bands, and one dark grey with black bands, intertwining and glaring at Cephalomon.

The ground to the right of the group opened up and a peculiar insect stepped out, balancing his articulated body on four bony claws. Next to that was what looked like an arctic fox, with huge ears and a furry crimson pelt over her back.

Standing in the centre, arms folded, was the final member of the group; a two-legged lizard with glinting metallic bands and large, green gauntlets. He stared defiantly at Cephalomon, before unfolding his arms and pointing.

"It's been a long time. Unfortunately we're going to have to stop this right now."

Cephalomon bellowed, "You've made a big mistake, coming here. You disgraced me once. Now you will pay." He chuckled, before continuing. "The 'last chance' for the Digital World, and you're all at my mercy. Now it simply falls to me to annihilate you all."

Velocimon lowered his head. "You're wrong. We've been looking for these humans ever since we called them." He pointed again, "If you think we're about to give up now then guess again. You may be a Mega, but we are not at your mercy!"

The children below looked on in wonder as Velocimon looked to his comrades, then straight towards Cephalomon. "I took your arm before, and we can take you on again."

Cephalomon's growls rose in volume. He lifted his active cannons and pointed them straight at Velocimon.

Velocimon stayed calm. He flexed, his claws cracking together, before he jumped off the cliff.

"ATTACK!"

* * *

The rest of the creatures all jumped from the cliff edge; some taking flight, some sliding down the cliff face, and the insect burrowing straight into the earth. The children watched as they made their way towards Cephalomon, who was spinning his tentacle cannons at a frightening rate.

Cephalomon fired several shots, but the fast moving creatures dodged the lethal projectiles. Quickly the giant squid was surrounded, but the six tiny monsters around him seemed to be little threat. After all, he was a Mega level, and they were only Rookies.

Cephalomon gave up shooting and instead attempted to crush the fox with one of his tentacles. She dodged it easily, and she ran in underneath the immense body.

"Snow Blast!" she cried as she let out a flurry of ice and snow from her mouth, which surrounded one of the barrels and sealed it in place. Cephalomon roared in pain as Vulpimon set to work with the rest of the tentacles. Trilomon was also hard at work; burrowing underneath the barrels so they sank into the soft sand.

Ladomon and Colchimon were circling around the squid. Their bladed tails were beginning to glow; one a blinding white, and the other a strange black. The falcon, Perimon, was circling even higher, heading towards Cephalomon's head. Reaching eye level, he faced the giant squid and drew back, taking in breath.

"Wind Tunnel!" he called as he let out a column of spiralling air. It did little to damage the beast, only made his smaller tentacles wave in the wind. The bird called down, "This isn't going to be easy, Velocimon!"

Down at the monster's feet, the lizard called back, "Focus on the right arm. It may be our only shot." The children looked up at the arm and saw something none of them had noticed. Around Cephalomon's right arm was a band of pale skin, quite unlike the deep orange of the rest of the body. It was as if the arm had been severed and then reattached, a long time ago.

Velocimon raised his arms and opened fire. "Spark Shooter!" The flurry of sparks bounced off the barrels and dug into the flesh, but Cephalomon didn't notice. He brought one of his tentacles down where Velocimon was standing, just missing but still sending the dinosaur sprawling.

Trilomon took this opportunity to clamber up the massive rubbery appendage. Cephalomon tried to shake him off, but Trilomon was too fast and quickly scuttled out of sight. Perimon was looping around and Vulpimon was weaving, freezing and refreezing Cephalomon's tentacles in place. It seemed chaotic, but Velocimon had planned for this. He looked up at the two dragons. Their tails were holding their glow, but they stayed still, hovering in mid-air. Colchimon looked down. "We can't get a clear shot yet."

"Okay, I'll get in there myself. Try and slow him down a bit more."

The dragons flew higher until they were at Cephalomon's head height. Cephalomon swung another tentacle, barely missing Colchimon. Ladomon, in response, swerved around and faced the monster in the eye.

"Blinding Stare" she cried as a strange aura appeared from her own eyes. Cephalomon cursed as white flashed before his eyes, just as Colchimon swung round behind him. "Paralysis Pulse!"

For a brief moment, Cephalomon froze. The dark sphere that had materialised behind him had attached to the back of his neck, and while it was too weak to hold him for long, it provided Velocimon with the gap he needed.

Jumping on Cephalomon's tentacle he ran up towards the damaged arm. His claws and tail glowed white and he jumped, thrusting himself into a spinning motion. "Quick Slash!"

Velocimon impacted and ripped into the exposed flesh. Cephalomon roared, swinging his tentacles in a wild attempt to stop the onslaught. While he had incredible strength and attack power, on dry land his slow movements were weighing him down. He looked down at his arm, and saw that the old scar had been re-opened. Velocimon had a lot of nerve, to try and disfigure him for a second time. Now was the time to change tactic.

All of a sudden Cephalomon raised his tentacles, spinning the barrel rapidly. In the distance he saw Perimon ready himself for another ramming attack. As the bird got closer, Cephalomon swivelled and fired two shots straight towards him. He immediately stumbled, his tentacles flailing and trying to find purchase in the sand, but the twin shots flew directly towards Perimon.

The direct attack took the bird by surprise. He tried to wheel out of the way, but one of the fireballs caught him on his wing. It was just a glancing blow, but it sent intense pain through his body. He spiralled downwards, crashing into the surf. The water extinguished the flames that had engulfed him, and he lay still.

"Perimon! No!" Ladomon flew out of the way as Cephalomon tried to steady himself again. She saw Vulpimon running frantically down below and Velocimon desperately trying to stay on. Cephalomon turned to her and swung again. He may have been slow, but he was using his huge weight to his advantage, flinging his tentacles in huge, sweeping motions. Sooner or later he would be bound to hit another one of them, and with his momentum, he could break their tiny bodies with one impact.

Suddenly something appeared on Cephalomon's shoulder. Trilomon had clambered up and was bracing himself for an attack. "Hey, beaky!"

Cephalomon turned his head, surprised by the voice. Trilomon launched himself forward, tucking himself into a sharp-edged sphere. "Rolling Blade!"

He was bang on target. Trilomon hit the eye socket of Cephalomon's mask, clattering around, his sharp armour jabbing into the flesh behind the mask. As Cephalomon shook his head, trying to get the little insect out, Trilomon unfurled and clambered out of the socket and up to the top of the head, using his bony claws to rip and stab at the beast's rubbery head.

Velocimon looked towards the two dragons. "You need to attack now. We might not get a better chance than this." He dropped down, balancing himself on one of Cephalomon's tentacles.

Above him the two dragons flew either side of the damaged arm. Their tails were glowing furiously, having been storing energy up to this point. Now the two powerful Rookies aimed their attacks. Velocimon was right, they only had one chance.

"Sun Spear!" cried Ladomon as a brilliant beam of light shot from her tail, impaling Cephalomon's wound. She flew round, the laser cutting deeper. Colchimon swung round behind her.

"Shadow Blade!" he yelled, his own tail extending, and forming a dark blade. He flew in towards the wound, flipping just before impact. The dark blade hit the gash and cut even deeper, slicing into the rubber. The thick flesh made his movement grind to a halt, and he felt the vibrations as Cephalomon bellowed with pain. With one quick movement, Colchimon flicked his tail free from the wound.

Cephalomon looked at the gash as his attackers flew away. He was exhausted, his own earlier onslaught having taken its toll. His right arm was hanging limply, held only by a few sinewy threads. He couldn't move it, and was unable to summon another Flaming Circle attack. The intense pain was throwing him off his balance, and he was stumbling. Cephalomon looked around him, batting off the still attacking group of Rookies. The sudden appearance of both the humans and the wanted Digimon had surprised him, and somehow they had gained an advantage. He hated to admit it, but he could not win this battle in his current state.

Cephalomon forced himself to calm down and ignore his bloodthirsty nature. "This isn't over," he growled as he slowly backed away. He was still being attacked from all sides, but gradually his oppressors stopped, simply watching him back away into the ocean. "You will see me again, and when you do, it will be the last time."

Cephalomon keeled backwards, swivelling his body and entering the deeper water. He disappeared beneath the waves as the six Rookies watched, and the swells behind him gradually got smaller, until there was no longer any sign of him.

The Rookies slowly gathered together. The battle had taken its toll; many of them were sporting bad burns, especially Perimon, and they were bruised and cut all over their bodies. The humans hadn't fared much better, but luckily no-one had been seriously injured.

Aaron and the rest of the group approached the Digimon.

"You're not here to attack us as well, are you?"

Perimon grinned and shook his head, "Not us. In fact you're lucky we found you when we did, you seemed to be having issues." He winced as Velocimon helped him up, his right wing blackened and a little bent.

Aaron stepped forward. "In that case, is there somewhere we can talk? I think we have a lot of questions."

Vulpimon, limping slightly, spoke up. "We can get further inland just a bit further along the beach. Follow us; we'll take care of you."

Kai brushed the hair away from his eyes, muttering to himself. "You'd better take care of yourselves as well."

The group set off along the beach (after briefly waiting for Cephalomon's circle to burn low enough). Progress was slow, with individuals occasionally stopping for rests, but Velocimon kept everyone moving. There were no other encounters, although at one point Colchimon thought he spotted a Shellmon in the distance. Eventually though, the group found a path leading inland, and finally escaped from the dangerous beach.

* * *

The twelve members of the group found a place to rest, and to check each other's injuries. The children gathered many dry pieces of wood from the area and Velocimon had lit a fire, which warmed the cold night air.

Aaron looked around him. They were on the outskirts of a forest, but one like no forest he had ever seen. The trees varied in size and shape, but where they should have had green leaves, instead they had small transparent plates, apparently made of a kind of crystal. Occasionally the plates would glow as the light from the fire hit them, making the whole forest flash with odd pink and blue lights. It was surreal, but beautiful at the same time.

Mostly, anyway. As they had walked to the clearing they had found great gaps in the forest, where only blackened stumps and shattered crystal remained. It was in one of these clearings where they had decided to stop.

Velocimon stopped feeding the fire and sat down, finally relaxing. Around him were the other Digimon, and, sitting a fair distance away, were the humans. Kent was sitting and staring darkly into the fire, refusing to speak. Eloise sat next to Kai, who was fidgeting with a stick in his hand. Jack was huddled next to Grace, his T-shirt and shorts providing little protection against the cold.

The Digimon were more relaxed. Vulpimon and Trilomon were laid down next to each other, and Ladomon and Colchimon were coiled up next to the fire. Perimon was hunched a little way away, occasionally picking at the burn on his wing.

"Digimon?"

Jack had posed the question, but in truth all the children were leaning forward, intent to hear about their companions.

It was Trilomon who answered. "Digimon is short for Digital Monster. You might have guessed this already, but this isn't your world. You're in the Digital World now."

Aaron shifted slightly. "So we did travel between worlds when we came here."

Trilomon nodded, but Kent quickly came in with another question, "What do you mean digital? In our world that generally means the binary code which allows us to write computer programs. Is this world actually real?"

Ladomon lifted her head. "Yes and no. The human world and the digital world run parallel to one another, with an interface between them. To each world, the other world isn't physically real, but it's still actually there."

The children looked confused, so Trilomon came in again. "Everything in the human world is made out of particles, right? Base constituents of atoms and molecules, and cells and DNA for more advanced creatures. Well, the Digital World is just the same, except instead of particles, everything here is made of data."

"When you came from the real world, the portal you travelled through configured your particles into data bits. No-one can just travel between worlds; you need to become the correct format first."

Grace squirmed a little. "So you mean we've turned into computer programs?"

Velocimon shot another couple of sparks into the diminishing fire.

"Temporarily. You haven't actually changed; you're just made up of different particles." Velocimon looked up, seeing the faces of barely-hidden horror, before adding, "So long as you use portals, you can travel back and forth between worlds seamlessly. There have been other humans come here before you, and Digimon have also travelled to the real world. Trust me, you're not in danger by simply being here."

The children weren't too convinced. Kent was looking even more ill at ease than before, and Jack was busy looking closely at his hand for pixels.

It was Eloise who broke the awkward silence. "I believe you, but that's not the real problem. During the battle, you said that you called us here. Why?"

She looked at the strange creatures before her. "Why did we come here? Why did the squid suddenly decide to try and kill us? What exactly do you want with us?"

Velocimon looked at the children before him. They were each so unique, each one reacting differently to the strange world around them. Velocimon had no idea whether they could possibly help by only looking at them. But with time slowly running out, there was very little he could do.

"Okay. The short answer is we need your help. Without you, this world could very well fall into desolation. Here's what happened…"

* * *

"The Digital World was going through a period of peace. While there have been many attempts to break that peace, usually from a single Digimon threatening the world, each time they were defeated. Sometimes there were children brought from the outside to help, just like you, while other times the Digimon stood up to the evil themselves. Either way, we were able to defeat every evil being that threatened us."

"However this time was different. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Fire Digimon began to run amok. At first it would just be a few feral Digimon, affected by something, but eventually the number of infected Digimon grew, and they started to gather into an army."

"Just a minute," said Kai, holding up his hand. "What do you mean the Fire Digimon? Are you split up into groups or something?"

Velocimon looked over at Trilomon. The insect nodded, and began to explain.

"The Digital World is made of 10 different kinds of data, each representing a different element: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Electricity, Metal, Wood, Ice, Light and Darkness. A long time ago, these elements were sealed within ten separate entities, but as time went on and Digimon diversified, so the elements were split between them. Now a single Digimon can contain data from multiple elements within them."

"Thanks." Trilomon nodded again and Velocimon resumed his story.

"You see the problem. Any Digimon with a significant amount of Fire data could be affected. For some it took longer than others, but eventually over half of the world's Digimon were under the influence."

"There were other problems as well. There are a small group of Mega level Fire Digimon that aren't affected. They are completely in control, and they're the ones who command the Fire army."

Grace interjected. "Was the giant squid thing one of them?"

Velocimon nodded. "Cephalomon usually works by himself, but yes, he is one of the Commanders. The General leading the whole army is an old warrior called Surtremon."

As if in response, the flames leapt up, making the children flinch. Velocimon looked grave, his eyes unfocused as he continued.

"We tried to fight back. Those of us who were unaffected began to form resistances and create strongholds. Some of us were on the front line, trying to fight back the growing army. But it was no use. During these battles we lost many comrades, and many Digimon close to us."

Around him the other Digimon were solemn; painful memories returning to them. Perimon in particular looked bereaved, tears beginning to well in his eyes. He quickly brushed them aside.

"That was when we got a summons. Nine of us, from all over the world, were to meet at the ancient Citadel, in the centre of the continent. Somehow we all made our way there and were met with a final chance for victory."

Velocimon suddenly reached into his chest, making it appear to ripple. He removed his hand, holding a tiny sphere of yellow light.

"We were presented with these, although we don't know where they came from. They each hold the power of a single element. If these were to be destroyed, then slowly the all the data bits of that element would decay."

"We were told to bring them to the Digital weak point and open a portal. Each element would call through a person from the real world, although none of us knew how long it would take."

He returned the element into his body. "As you can see, only six of us actually made it. We only just managed to open the portal, and since then we've been searching the Digital World for you."

Velocimon sat up. The humans looked at each other, and at the group of Digimon sat before them. Aaron asked, "So why do you need us here?"

It was Vulpimon who answered this time. "When a Digimon is partnered with a human, the Digimon can use human emotion to grow in power. This in turn allows us to protect you."

"So you expect us to travel around this Digital World, risking our lives, just so we can give you the power to defeat this Fire army?"

Both Eloise and Aaron gave Kent a look, since he had posed the question. Perimon gave a grunt, offended by Kent's tone, but Velocimon silenced him.

"You're right. This will be incredibly dangerous for you. Despite our situation, it's not fair for us to ask so much of you. Therefore, we'll give you a choice. If you don't want to do this, we'll find the portal again and send you back to your home world."

"However this is the only time we can do this. If you choose to stay, you will be bonded to the elements yourselves, and as such we will be unable to use them. You'll be trapped here."

The six Digimon got up and stood in a line before the humans. "Please, will you help us? You may be our only hope to survive."

The flames crackled on, as the humans considered this. Nobody wanted to say anything.

Kai stood up, looking at the Digimon. "I think we need to discuss this someplace else. You stay here and we'll talk amongst ourselves. We'll come back with an answer soon."

He beckoned the other humans to follow him, and they all wandered off into the darkness of the forest. The Digimon sat back around the fire. None of them spoke a word, each one only letting their silent prayers into the night.

* * *

"We can't do this. It's far too dangerous."

The group of six were huddled around, talking amongst themselves. It was after midnight, but the faint glow from the crystalline trees and the three moons in the sky left enough light for them to see each other.

Kent had his arms folded. He was severely irritated by the whole business. "You remember Cephalomon earlier. These things are dangerous, and we're only human. How on Earth do they expect us to help them?"

"Kent, please!" Aaron looked at the taller guy defiantly. "They've already told us that they have no other choice. If we can help them, I say it's our responsibility to do so."

Eloise came in, "But it's not our responsibility. We were brought here without a choice, and there's nothing we can do to help. I say we take our chance to go home."

Aaron began to speak again, but Grace interrupted him. "Besides, we don't know anything about this place. As Kent said, it's dangerous. What happens if somebody gets seriously hurt?"

Aaron was feeling severely ganged up on. Jack interjected, "Well I think we should help them. There's no other way they can win."

Grace turned on him. "This isn't your call. You're too young to make these decisions."

Jack folded his arms. "If I am, then so are you. We were all brought here. I'm a part of this group as well."

Aaron nodded, but Kent shook his head. "See, there's the main problem. None of us are adults. Heck, I'm only seventeen. Yet we're being asked to enter a life-threatening situation, in order to help some random creatures that we've only just met, and who might not even be real!"

Aaron leaned back against a tree. In truth, he was exhausted. It had been a horrendous day. Maybe they're right, he thought. What do we owe these Digimon? Maybe we should just apologise and leave? But then the whole thing will still be on my conscience. What do I do?

He saw Kai standing a little way away from the group, yet to give his opinion. Aaron stood up straight and asked him, "So what do you think?"

Kai looked at the group, all waiting on his answer.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said. "Some of us want to help, some of us don't. There was no condition saying we all needed to go back home."

"But what about your family, or friends?"

Kai ignored the question. "I don't know what you all want to decide, but personally, I'm staying."

He brushed his hair aside before carrying on. "I'm just doing what I think is right. I suggest you take a vote. If you want to stay and help, come over next to me. If not, then stay where you are."

The others were hesitant. Kai's abrupt tone was far from comforting. Nobody knew exactly what to do. Aaron gulped. It was a big decision, but he wanted to do the right thing, at least for him. Nervously, he stepped forward and joined Kai.

Nobody else moved. Kai turned his head away, seemingly not bothered whether they all came or not. Aaron was about to question him, when all of a sudden Jack stepped forward. His sister immediately ran out and grabbed him. "What are you doing? You're not staying here with those things."

Jack struggled. "Let me go! It's my choice, and I want to stay. I don't care if you're older than me, I want to help!"

Kai nodded. "He's right you know." Eloise shot him a look, making him throw up his hands in defense, "What? It's like he said; we were all brought here, so we should all get a choice in what we do."

"But he's nine! He doesn't know what he's doing!"

"Do any of us?"

Eloise didn't particularly care for Kai's tone, but it was true. Nobody knew what they were getting themselves into. Yet before her stood three boys who had decided to stay despite this fact. They didn't care about the danger or their own ability. They were only doing what they thought was right. Eloise shuffled nervously. She didn't know what she thought.

Grace looked her brother in the eye. "Do you really want to do this?"

Jack nodded.

Slowly, Grace let go of her brother's wrist. He walked over to where Kai and Aaron were standing. Grace turned, and was about to walk away, but instead stood still for a while. Then, she turned around again, and walked over to where her brother was.

"If you're staying then I'm staying with you. Someone needs to keep an eye on you."

Jack grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes. She was still uncertain, but she put on a brave face and stood firm with the group.

Kent was about to protest, when Eloise suddenly walked over herself.

"Well, if you're all staying then it's probably best if I stay with you then, isn't it?" Eloise shrugged, her hair bouncing. "After all, it's safety in numbers, or something like that anyway."

Kai gave a little smile, and the group of five turned and looked at the final member.

Kent was livid. "Are you all insane? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

Despite her nerves, Eloise couldn't help but laugh at the tall angry boy hopping up and down before her. Kai shrugged again. "Evidently we don't. As I've said, it's not like you need to join us or anything?"

Kent was about to argue, but, after a pause, he visibly relaxed. It was too much; the situation was out of his control now. He trudged over to them, giving Kai a dark look. "You know I'm not doing this for the Digimon, right?"

"Fine by me." said Kai, and he shrugged yet again. "Okay then, let's go and tell them."

* * *

The Digimon had been mostly silent while the children had been gone. When they saw the group walking back towards them, they turned to watch.

Aaron spoke. "We've decided."

"And?"

The silence seemed to stretch out. Aaron could barely get the words out. This was much harder than he'd anticipated.

"We're all going to stay and help you."

The Digimon began to whoop and crow in celebration, but Velocimon hushed them. He turned back to the children. "Thank you."

Aaron nodded. "So now what?"

"We may as well do it now." Velocimon stood up, and faced the other Digimon. "Get ready, we're going to connect."

* * *

The six Digimon were stood (or hovering, in Ladomon and Colchimons case) in a circle, all facing each other. Velocimon looked at the humans, who were stood in a horizontal line behind the fire.

"Remember, once we've done this, there's no going back. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Aaron looked at the people either side of him. They all nodded at him, a brave look in their eyes.

"Yes."

"Very well."

Velocimon reached inside his chest yet again and pulled out the spherical element. The other Digimon did the same, holding the tiny orbs of light before them. The orbs began to float, getting closer together, and beginning to spin. The wind picked up, making the dwindling fire flare up briefly, before it died completely. The orbs fused into a ring of light, which began to rise up into the air. Aaron could see the Digimon muttering something, possibly some sort of activation chant.

Suddenly, the Digimon stepped back, their bodies glowing with the same colours as their own elements. Each Digimon shouted out a single word.

"Electricity!" shouted Velocimon.

"Earth!" shouted Trilomon.

"Ice!" shouted Vulpimon.

"Air!" shouted Perimon.

"Light!" shouted Ladomon.

"Darkness!" shouted Colchimon.

As they all shouted the auras surrounding them grew more intense, and the elemental ring grew in diameter.

The Digimon turned to face the humans. The wind had picked up again, and a familiar sound could be heard; a strange electronic whistling that made everybody wince in pain.

Suddenly the Digimon all shouted as one, their voices resonating through the night.

"Activate!"

The elemental ring split into six trails of light, which started spinning in countless different directions. Aaron braced himself. Grace closed her eyes. Kent held his hands in front of his chest, a look of concentration on his face.

The beams of light suddenly changed direction all at once, and hurtled towards the waiting humans. They impacted all at the same time, erupting into hundreds of beams of light. Some of the humans were sent sprawling on the ground; others simply held firm against the bursts of energy that ran through their bodies.

Then, the lights dimmed. The humans regained their breath, looking down at themselves. On each of their chests was a circle of light, on which was engraved a symbol; the symbol of the element they had received.

Aaron saw coloured lights dance around his hand. They converged and morphed into a strange device, as they were doing for everyone else. He felt the weight of the device as it suddenly gained mass and substance.

The lights faded, and the symbols on everybody's torsos faded into nothing. Everybody was now holding the new gadget. Aaron looked at his. It was yellow and orange, with metallic highlights. There was a screen and a directional pad, as well as two buttons on the right and a jagged shape sticking out the top, like a small antenna.

He pressed the D-pad and looked at the features. There was very little he could understand, bar from a holographic map and some sort of identification system. He waved it around and something suddenly came up.

"Velocimon. Rookie Level, Data Attribute. Attacks: Spark Shooter, Quick Slash"

"That's your D-Nexus, Aaron. It will allow you to understand this world a little better."

Aaron jumped and looked next to him. He had been joined by Velocimon, who was giving him a small smile. "Congratulations. It seems like I'm your new partner."

Aaron couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement. It felt like the beginning of something incredible, with strange devices, elemental powers, and a fantastical creature to protect him.

Around him his companions were also being joined by their respective partners. Grace had bent down and was stroking Vulpimon on her head, and next to her Jack and Perimon were exchanging comments and laughing out loud. Trilomon had shuffled up to Kent, the tall youth making him more nervous than usual. Eloise was talking with a very modest Ladomon, whereas Colchimon was literally all over his own partner, coiling himself around Kai's arms and shoulders.

Velocimon tapped his partner's leg. "What do you think?"

Aaron was about to answer, but instead let out a yawn. He rethought. "I think it's been a really long day."

Velocimon laughed. "Okay, I see your point." He whistled, getting everybody's attention.

"It's been a long and tiring day. We've finally gotten the help we needed, and we can start making a move towards the Fire region. But for now, let's find somewhere to rest. I think we all need it."

The group set off deeper into the forest, chattering to their partners and to each other. Despite the hazardous experience earlier, there was a sense of optimism and high spirits.

Aaron looked down at his partner. "So, what happens now?" he asked.

Velocimon seemed to think for a minute, and then shrugged. "To be honest I didn't think we'd get this far."

He looked up at his new partner. "What do you say we just see what happens, partner?"

He held up his claw, clenched into a fist. Aaron grinned, and knocked Velocimon's fist with his own.

He was right. Whatever happened, wherever they were headed, and whatever dangers they would meet, they would just take them on one by one.

It was sure to be one wild ride.

* * *

Water cascaded down from the huge rusted gate as it slid upwards into the archway. Cephalomon's tentacles touched the bottom as the water got shallower, until he was storming towards the doorway at the end of the cavern, his footsteps making the ground shake and the walls crumble.

He barged into the stiff doors, slowly forcing them open, his body letting off steam. He found himself in a massive hallway. The air was heavy and humid, and he felt his skin begin to wrinkle and tighten. Not that it bothered him; he was used to that whenever he came in here.

Another door opened behind a balcony at Cephalomon's eye level, and another, much smaller Digimon walked out to face him. He saw the head of the giant squid before him and smirked.

"It's not funny. Tell me where Rinkhalmon is; I want to tell him that his handiwork sucks!"

The other Digimon shifted his gaze towards Cephalomon's shoulder. Indeed, his arm seemed to have been nearly ripped off. There was something thick oozing out of the wound, and the arm was only connected by a few strips of muscle and skin. Being essentially a giant octopus, Cephalomon had no bones.

"You know, you really ought to be more careful with that. Those humans might decide to remove it fully next time."

Cephalomon let go and pounded down on the balcony with his good arm, making the whole hallway shake.

"They got lucky this time! I need both of you to help me so we can destroy them now!"

His colleague said nothing. Cephalomon glared at him, until a look of puzzlement crossed his face.

"Wait, how did you know about the humans?"

"Surtremon told me. He would have told you too if you were around. But, then again, you do like to gallivant around on your own all the time; so basically, this is entirely your fault."

Cephalomon leaned in closer. "Don't push me, kitty," he whispered menacingly.

His partner looked disinterested. "You needn't bother with them for the time being. You should get Rinkhalmon to have another look at your arm. Make sure he fixes it properly this time. I'll head towards the humans and keep an eye on them. We don't want to kill them, at least not yet."

"But we-"

"That's an order from Surtremon. If you don't like it, take it out on him."

Cephalomon growled some more, then relaxed.

"I don't intend on letting them survive, you know. Nobody bests me in battle and get away with it. I will take my revenge, and you can't stop me."

The other Digimon rolled his eyes. "You're sounding like a cliché movie villain. Try to work on that."

He turned his back and walked through the doors, pausing in the archway and looking back round.

"If it makes you feel better, I agree with you. These humans are too dangerous to be left alone for too long. Don't worry; you'll get your chance for 'revenge'. I'll see what I can do once you're all fixed up."

He broke into a run, and the door closed behind him, leaving Cephalomon alone in the cavern.


	3. Episode 3: The First Night

**_Hi everyone! Just a quick note before the episode. I have a page and a group on DeviantArt where I post art related to the story, such as character profiles and screenshots. My account is BlackHawkNova, same as here, so if you're interested then go and check it out!_  
**

**_That's it from me, hope you enjoy the episode.  
_**

* * *

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 3: The First Night

"When are we stopping?"

Jack's question broke the steady marching of footsteps that had been the only sound for a few minutes. The group of twelve were headed deeper into the dense, crystal forest. As they pushed further, the glowing leaves on the trees were getting smaller, emitting less light than in the open areas.

The Digimon seemed confident that they knew where they were going, but the unfamiliar woods made some of the humans nervous. Every snap of a twig or glimmer of a leaf made somebody jump.

Aaron was far from nervous; in fact he was enthralled by the mysterious, beautiful world that surrounded him. Occasionally he would pose a question to Velocimon, who kept pace beside him, happy to answer. In fact most of the Digimon seemed in a good mood, and Perimon had even done a couple of air maneouvres when Jack had asked, although Velocimon quickly told him to pipe down.

"We'll stop at the next clearing we come across. Promise."

"Well, why couldn't we stop at the one we passed earlier? Or the one before that?"

Velocimon shook his head. "They were too open. We need to stay hidden away from any Fire forces that might come this way."

Ladomon flew down to his level. "Come on, Velocimon, they're tired. Can't we just find a tree to sleep under or something?"

Velocimon stopped and looked back at the group. "It shouldn't be too much longer. Trust me; I know where I'm going here."

Kent, out of breath, caught up with the rest of the group. Trilomon surfaced beside him, having gone underground when he realised Kent wasn't speaking to him. Kent wasn't exactly happy, "Why are we following you anyway? Who put you in charge here?"

Velocimon sighed. "I told you, I know where I'm going, and I'd like to see you navigate around here when it's dark."

Kai let out a little huff of laughter. "What do you mean, navigate around here? There's nothing but forest for miles each way." He folded his arms. "It would be easier to simply stop here, rather than trying to find a 'suitable clearing'."

Velocimon folded his arms and gave a snort of irritation. "It's not that simple. There are tactical advantages to finding a good sleeping spot."

Perimon swooped down and gently landed on Jacks shoulder. "Here we go, soldier boy's giving us a team talk again."

Velocimon ignored him. "Look, if the Fire forces attack, we need a space open enough so that we won't get cornered or surrounded by flames, yet it must be closed in enough that we can run into the woods if need be."

Colchimon rubbed his beak-like snout with his wing. "Velocimon, do you really think if the Fire forces attack that we're going to be any safer out in the open? At least we're less likely to get spotted within the actual forest. Someone's gonna have to keep watch anyway."

"None of you are listening to me. Honestly I don't know why I bother explaining anything to you guys."

"Maybe you should stop explaining and listen to us for once." Perimon hopped down to Velocimon's level, clearly exasperated. "We've been fighting all evening and walking all night. We need somewhere to rest."

"That's all very well but we need to make the right preparations."

"We're finding a sleeping spot, not building a flippin' fort!"

"Maybe we should. Perhaps you could actually put a little effort in this time."

"Velocimon, I headbutted Cephalomon in the face today. I think I'm putting a fair amount of effort in!"

"Yeah, look how well that turned out!"

"That's not the point…"

The rest of the group watched the two Rookies squabble, with looks of amusement on the faces of the humans and embarrassment on the faces of the Digimon.

Grace turned to Vulpimon. "Are they usually like this?"

Vulpimon sighed. "Pretty much all the time."

"Great," said Eloise, "I can see this is going to be a productive conversation."

Aaron rubbed his face with his hand. "Look guys, can't we just make a decision already? It's past midnight."

The two Rookies didn't hear, so Ladomon and Colchimon had to fly in and physically drag them away from each other. Perimon flew back up to Jack's shoulder, where he gave Velocimon a mean look. "Just 'cause you were a soldier doesn't mean you can boss us all around."

Velocimon growled. "Well, someone has to make the decisions around here."

"Why don't we get one of the humans to decide?"

Velocimon harrumphed. "Fine." He turned to Aaron. "What do you think we should do?"

Aaron started. All of a sudden the rest of the group was looking at him, expectantly. "Wait, why me?"

Kai smirked. "Well, you are his partner. We figured you might have an opinion."

"Wait, what? I mean, no. I mean…"

Aaron felt his face flush.

"Yes, well I, um…"

Still silence. Velocimon was looking up at him, his expression completely unreadable.

"Okay fine! We'll stop here. We may as well get some rest while we can."

Perimon threw his wings back in relief. "Thank you, someone around here listens to reason!"

Velocimon looked more than a bit narked at Perimon's comment, but he said nothing. Everybody else found somewhere to sit or lie down, and to catch their breath. Aaron was left standing awkwardly in the middle of everyone, until Velocimon beckoned him to sit down.

The minutes passed by. One by one, the group dropped off to sleep, until only Velocimon was left awake, staring up at the treetops.

* * *

A few metres away, two large red eyes were watching the group as they settled down. The owner stifled a giggle, trying to keep his excitement under control. His lips parted, revealing crooked yellow teeth, and he quietly slid back into the canopy, deciding to bide his time. It was more fun to wait until the right moment.

* * *

Aaron opened his eyes. He had been lying down underneath one of the trees, trying to get some rest, but the events of the day had kept playing around in his mind. He sat up, leaning up against the tree trunk. He couldn't help but feel he had made a mistake. The world was alien wherever he looked. The crystalline trees, the three moons, the strange creatures stretched out, having a much better time sleeping than he was. Even the tree trunk felt wrong; oddly metallic instead of rough and wooden.

He looked around at the rest of the group. Eloise was curled up next to a small bush, its faint glow keeping her warm, whereas Ladomon and Colchimon were coiled up and hung in the tree above her. Aaron saw the sleeves of Kai's heavy coat some way away from the group. The boy certainly seemed to keep his distance.

Grace had Jack's head resting on her lap, and both were in a deep sleep, having been more exhausted than the others. Perimon had roosted himself above them, and Vulpimon was curled up nearby. Kent was leaned up against a tree, breathing lightly. Trilomon was curled up in a small armoured sphere some way away. It was clear Kent still had issues with him.

Aaron leaned his head back. This was ridiculous. The six of them were trapped in a strange world, containing strange and dangerous creatures, some of which had already tried to kill them. For some reason they'd agreed to help some of the other creatures to save this world. It was all a bit much.

He felt a lump in his pocket as he shifted. Reaching in, he pulled out the device he had received earlier. It was no longer glowing, but it felt warm in his hand, and he felt a strange aura emanating from it, similar to pins and needles.

He pressed a few of the buttons, hoping to get more accustomed to it. By pressing the centre button he could bring up the main menu, which hovered a few millimetres above the screen, due to some sort of hologram. By pressing left and right, he could find the other features: an interactive 3D map of the world; a database of all the Digimon he had seen (at this point only the six partners were recorded); some sort of stats screen for Velocimon, containing health, power level and a strange meter labelled "Energy Transfer"; and a simpler map of the area with radar blips, showing the positions of the other devices.

"Can't sleep?"

Normally Aaron would have jumped, but he was too tired and too used to the strange stuff to react. He looked around and saw Velocimon looking over his shoulder, watching his antics with the device.

"Sorry. I don't mean to be a pain, but I don't have a hope of sleeping after today."

Velocimon shrugged. "Fine by me. It gives me someone to talk to."

Aaron shifted himself round until he was sitting next to Velocimon. The dinosaur seemed completely alert, not tired at all. Aaron asked, "Don't you sleep?"

"Rarely. Certainly not recently. I like to know what's going on around me."

Velocimon leaned over. "So how are you getting on with that thing?"

"I was hoping you could tell me a little more about it. You seem to know what you're talking about."

Velocimon shook his head. "You pretty much sussed it there. The only thing I can tell you is that all the D-Nexus's are connected. The better you work together as a team, the more effectively they work."

"Well, that made no sense. So what about these buttons here?" Aaron fingered the two buttons on the right hand side, but nothing happened.

He let out a long breath and rested his arm on his knee and his head on his arm. Velocimon tilted his head. "Is everything okay? You seem, I don't know, under pressure."

Aaron gave the dinosaur a look out of the corner of his eye.

Velocimon raised his claws in defense. "Okay, that's understandable. It must have been a bit of a shock for you."

Aaron shook his head. "It's not you." He nodded to the sleeping humans around him. "Look at them all. They didn't ask to come here, none of us did. But now that we're all here, somebody has to keep them safe. Everyone seems to be looking to you and me."

He leaned back, looking up to the night sky. "I'm not a leader. I don't organise big battles or get people to follow me wherever I go. I can't even make snap decisions properly."

Velocimon was listening in, his face illuminated with the moonlight. "No-one's asking you to do this all by yourself, Aaron. We're all in this together."

"Yes, but I have no idea how to help you guys." Aaron held up his D-Nexus. "All I know is that I'm supposed to use this to give you power or something. You're depending on me, the rest of the group is depending on me, and I don't know where to start. It's just too much."

Velocimon swivelled round onto his knees. "Aaron, nobody expects you to be a perfect leader straight away."

Aaron rolled onto his side and looked Velocimon in the eye, "But why did you decide for me to be the leader anyway?"

"Because we thought you were the best choice."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

Velocimon gave his partner a serious look. "You care about them. You want to make sure everyone gets through this, human and Digimon alike. You made the choice to protect them. Like your plan to distract Cephalomon."

"But that didn't work."

"We all survived, didn't we? You need to make the choices you feel are right for the group. Even if you don't know the right choice, you have to make the decision. That's what a leader does."

Aaron slumped. "You seem to understand this far better than I do. Why don't you lead us?"

"Because I've done my share. It didn't end so well. And I can see you'll be a better leader than I ever was."

Aaron looked particularly disheartened, so Velocimon patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll get there."

Aaron looked up at the sky again. All he said was "Maybe."

The boy and his dinosaur sat in silence for a few minutes, merely looking around for possible danger. A couple of the other humans shifted in their sleep, but nobody woke up. Time seemed to be in Limbo, with nothing moving. The crystalline leaves on the trees were rigid and unmoving. There was no wind, no rain and thankfully no rustling of leaves indicating any danger.

"Velocimon, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"It's a little personal."

"Just ask. I don't mind."

"Before you called us here, what did you do? Where were you when this war started?"

Velocimon looked at his partner, who looked at him with serious eyes, prepared to listen.

"I told you I've done my share of leadership. It started at the very beginning…"

* * *

_Naturally, when the first Fire Digimon were turning, they began attacking the neighbouring regions. I was already an experienced warrior when they came, having been training for years. I managed to hold the armies away from my home for a while, but it wasn't long before the Fire Digimon began to make ground. They made settlements and burned the world around them. I did what I could, as did many others, but it was clear our lone efforts weren't enough._

_ After two years of holding out, the Generals and Leaders of our regions decided to band together. I was forced to leave my home and join the growing army. Any Digimon who could fight was called in to help, and our numbers reached the thousands._

_ It was there I first met Pikamon, who became my closest comrade. We worked together on the front line and were able to evict many Fire Digimon from their settlements. _

_ As Pikamon and I grew in experience and skill, we became leaders. We conducted our battles with skill and rarely ever failed. I met many other Digimon along the way, including Perimon. All over the world the Digimon were resisting, following our example. It looked like we were beginning to turn the tide._

_ Then our Generals decided to make one last push, to try and end the war as soon as possible. We were all sent to the battlefield. I still remember it now, standing firm opposite the seething mass of feral Digimon. In truth I have never been so terrified in my whole life._

_ We fought, driving the Fire Digimon back towards the Southern Coast. Our army greatly outnumbered theirs, but each one of their soldiers was both powerful and savage. To top it off, the Commanders had entered the battle themselves. I remember squaring off against Cephalomon for the first time, two Mega-levels against each other. It was a tough battle, but that was when I first took his arm. I don't think he'll ever get over that._

_ We battle long and hard, for many days, until we were on the verge of victory. Then, all of a sudden, Surtremon released his ultimate weapons. _

_The Hellfire Desolation, it was called. In one sweep, our entire army was decimated. Hundreds of savage, uncontrollable Mega-levels, the Fire Tyrants, released in one go. There were WarGreymon, Megidramon, ShineGreymon, Examon; the very strongest of the Fire forces. First they burned through our forces with waves of fire and energy; only the very strongest of us were able to survive. Then they began to fall on the survivors, easily overpowering them. In the space of an hour, our entire army was all but destroyed._

_I managed to retreat unharmed, along with Pikamon and a few dozen more. We were pursued through the forest as the Fire forces marched on. Many of the Tyrants died soon after the attack; the power within them was too great and it burned them up. But a couple managed to survive, and one by one the rest of us were picked off._

_It was then that Pikamon and I got the message, along with seven other Digimon around the world. We made our way towards the shrine at the centre, where we received the elements and were given the task to call you. The last hope for the Digital World._

* * *

Aaron had been engrossed for the entire story. When Velocimon finished, he breathed hard. "Woah."

"Indeed. War is an unpredictable thing."

Aaron found the elastic band in his pocket and began to fidget with it, wrapping it around his left hand. "So I take it Pikamon…um…"

"Unfortunately he died before we could call you. He sacrificed himself to destroy the last of the Fire Tyrants."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. It's happened now. All we can do is move on."

Aaron didn't know what to say. This war was so much bigger than he could have even imagined. Entire regions overrun, armies wiped out. Did this one small group stand any chance at all against the Fire forces?

"Is there something on your mind?"

Aaron turned to his partner, "I'm sorry, what?"

Velocimon whipped his head round. "I didn't say anything…"

The two stood up, looking at the thick forest around them. There was no sound at all.

Velocimon looked up at Aaron. "Maybe you were hearing things?"

"Maybe he wasn't."

Aaron and Velocimon looked at each other. "Quickly, follow me!" said Velocimon as he ran further into the forest towards the voice.

Towards almost certain danger.

Aaron gulped, but followed his partner, breaking into a run to catch up with the rapidly moving little dinosaur.

From seemingly all around him, the same sultry tone reverberated through his head.

"That's it. Follow the sound of my voice."

"I'll stay still. I promise…"

* * *

Velocimon's gauntlets were glowing with energy, so Aaron could follow his partner with little difficulty, simple following the glowing yellow dots in front of him. Velocimon was listening out for the voice, but whoever it belonged to kept moving, switching locations, circling around the pair.

All of a sudden, Velocimon stopped. He held out his arms, the dim glow doing little against the dark undergrowth of the forest. The voice kept on laughing and taunting, constantly changing location. Aaron stood beside his partner. In his hand he was gripping his D-Nexus; he was completely unsure what to do with it, but it was some comfort.

The voice spoke up. "Have we run out of places to run?"

Velocimon nudged Aaron. "Don't listen to what he's saying; he's trying to freak us out. Keep your eyes and ears open."

Aaron looked round. The forest around him pressed in, making him feel incredibly alone, despite being beside his partner. He suddenly thought of the others, still asleep with nobody watching over them.

"I wouldn't worry about them. I'm having too much fun with you."

Aaron whirled round. "It's reading my mind!"

"Possibly."

Aaron looked frantically round, watching for a sign of their elusive tormentor. It kept on, the voice never letting up for a moment.

Something caught Aaron's eye. Between the branches he could see something. It was like an orb, glowing with a purple light, and it pulsated in time with their pursuer's speech. Aaron pointed, and Velocimon followed his gaze.

The orb vanished, but reappeared in the corner of Aaron's vision.

"Now you see me, now you don't."

The orb skipped around before finally coming to rest, high above the two. Before Aaron could do a thing, Velocimon pointed both of his arms at the orb.

"Spark Shooter!"

A flurry of sparks shot from Velocimon's guns, ripping into the orb and the canopy around it. The orb fizzled, before it popped in a small blue flash.

"Nice shot."

The two whirled round to see another orb, practically identical to the first one, hovering around behind them. Two more orbs appeared, then three, then another two, until Aaron and Velocimon were surrounded with the sinister glowing objects.

"You've had your go. Now it's my turn."

The orbs formed a circle and began to spin, forming a ring of blue light around the boy and his Digimon.

"Gyro Flare!"

The ring suddenly contracted, the energy catching Aaron off guard and throwing him off his feet. He yelped in pain, running his hand over his shins. There was a tender band where the energy had burned him. He quickly got back to his feet. Velocimon had seen the energy coming and had jumped towards a nearby tree, grabbing onto the trunk.

The ring of energy slowed for a brief moment, before whirling round and spinning towards Velocimon. He jumped again, the ring of blue energy slicing into the tree bark. Metallic shards flew everywhere, and there was a splintering as the tree crashed to the ground, separating Aaron and Velocimon.

"This has been fun, but I say we get rid of the dinosaur."

Velocimon heard this and made a run to vault the tree. Suddenly, before Aaron could move he felt a force that threw him to the ground, as if something had jumped on him. There was a rustling in the trees behind him, before the voice shouted again.

"Argon Fireball!"

A purple-white bullet flew over Aaron's head, catching Velocimon by surprise. It caught him in the middle of the abdomen, sending him spinning back.

"That's one point to me. You get a timeout."

Aaron scrambled to his feet, before he felt something wrap itself round his arm. It was lightly furred and flexible, like a tail, but it yanked him with such force that he flew back into the undergrowth.

"Velocimon!"

Aaron landed; the leaves and branches cushioning the impact slightly. His arm hurt from the sudden pull, and he could no longer see his partner. He stood up, but he heard the voice laughing nearby.

"Show yourself!"

"You may want to look up."

Aaron did so. For a brief moment he saw a silhouette against the dim light of the three moons; a silhouette like that of a huge monkey. Then it disappeared, and the voice spoke up again. "That's all you're gonna get. Better run along now."

Aaron, gripping his D-Nexus, stood firm. "No. I'm not running."

"Argon Fireball!"

Another white-hot missile shot from the trees, exploding close to Aaron's feet. He jumped back, before turning and running as more projectiles rained on him from above. He could feel his heart beating fast, seemingly in time with the beast's maniacal laughter. He could barely see in front of him, but he didn't stop, aware of his fate if he did. All the while all he could think of was Velocimon. He had no clue whether his partner was even alive, but no matter how he wanted to he couldn't turn back now. Velocimon, the others, he had failed them all.

The barrage abruptly stopped. Aaron threw himself against a tree and tried to compose himself. His mind was buzzing. Could he go back and try to save Velocimon? Would he be able to with the beast still out there? What about the others? He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe calmly.

"Something on your mind?"

Aaron knew this was coming. He inhaled and gripped his D-Nexus tightly. "How did you guess?" he asked, sarcastically.

"Your mind, Aaron. It betrays your true feelings. I can read your thoughts, your emotions."

"Yeah, that's wonderful."

"You're afraid, aren't you?"

Aaron could feel the voice slowly getting closer. He forced himself not to turn around and look, instead keeping completely still. He had quietened his breathing down as far as he could. He focused.

"You're afraid of me."

Aaron waited. He listened out for the slightest hint of a noise.

"You're afraid of this world."

Aaron wasn't listening. The voice echoed out into silence.

"You're afraid of failure."

Aaron kept his eyes closed. Tentatively he spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"You cannot lead these people into battle. The war is no place for you. You're too afraid of making a mistake."

Aaron waited. The beast padded closer, until he was only a metre away from Aaron.

"You're right."

The beast stopped, intrigued by Aaron's answer.

Aaron carried on, "One mistake. That's all it could take for someone to lose their life. But Velocimon knows that."

The beast grinned. "Who cares about Velocimon? He is no longer here."

Aaron ignored him. "A leader must make the choice that he feels is right. No matter what, he must protect the others. When he doesn't know the answer, he must make the move anyway."

"And what is the answer?"

Aaron could hear the beast's breath behind him. He felt the heat from the little orbs as they flitted around him, still burning away.

"I don't know."

All of a sudden Aaron spun round and held out his D-Nexus, the light illuminating the beast's face. It was only for a second, but it was enough. The beast screeched in pain and covered its eyes from the bright light. Within seconds, the D-Nexus recorded the creature's data, scanning its entire make-up. Aaron ran as fast as he could, back through the forest towards his partner.

He held up the device before him as it revealed the information, along with a holographic image. His pursuer was some kind of large black monkey, with bands around its arms, legs and tail. Its face was akin to a mask, with a bright blue nose and deep red markings. It had two yellowed canines protruding from its bottom jaw, and a mess of blue-black hair running down its neck. The small purple orbs floated around its arms and just above its head.

"_Mandrimon. Champion Level, Virus Attribute. Attacks: Argon Fireball, Gyro Flare_"

_"Mandrimon craves the fear and uncertainty of its victims before it deletes them. A majority of its hunt simply consists of it taunting and frightening its enemies, which makes its soul-fire orbs burn with more energy."_

Aaron smiled. Finally, he had some ammunition.

* * *

Aaron's legs were burning from the running he'd already done, but he forced himself to keep going. Behind him he heard a furious screeching as Mandrimon powered through the canopy, angry at having been revealed. Aaron kept a straight course, hoping it would lead him back to one of the others. He stumbled a little, but kept his footing.

Above him he could hear branches breaking as Mandrimon chased him. The monkey yelled, trying to get Aaron to slow down, just enough to catch him. "You can't run from your own fear!"

"Yeah, but without my fear, you don't have any power, am I right?"

The cracking above Aaron settled, but he could still hear the monkey breathing. All of a sudden, his voice came from in front of Aaron.

"Don't push your luck."

Mandrimon flew out of the undergrowth and barrelled into Aaron, sending him careering into a tree trunk. The monkey landed safely, giving Aaron a look of disgust.

"You may have figured out my power, but I'm still stronger and faster than you." Mandrimon leaned in, swiping at Aaron as he tried to get out the way. "Besides, you can't kill the fear entirely. There's no way you can overpower me."

The orbs around Mandrimon's arms and atop his head suddenly pulsed, as if to prove his point. Mandrimon swiped again, his hand embedding in the tree trunk just above Aaron's head.

"Okay Mandrimon, I get it. You're stronger than me. To be honest, I really don't care!"

Aaron sprung to his feet and brought his fist forward, smashing the monkey in the face. Mandrimon screeched in shock, and Aaron used the opportunity to leap away from him and run further into the undergrowth.

"You'll pay for that, you pathetic human!"

It didn't take long for Mandrimon to catch up to Aaron again. He was so angered and insulted by this boy's actions that he didn't make a single attempt to scare him. Instead he leapt high, drawing on all the energy he could muster.

"Argon Fireball!"

Burning blue bullets rained down on the forest, hammering into tree trunks, logs and the ground alike. Aaron covered his head as the superheated projectiles bounced off of his head and back, leaving small scorch marks on his clothes.

"Gyro Flare!"

Aaron ground to a halt as the disc of energy ripped through the forest in front of him, like some huge circular saw. In a moment Mandrimon was on him, eyes wild and mouth frothing. Aaron tried to defend himself, but the monkey swiped and scratched, easily overpowering him.

"Get away from him NOW!"

A small yellow-green blur cannoned into Mandrimon, throwing him off of Aaron. Velocimon leapt to the ground and opened fire, firing dozens of sparks at Mandrimon. The monkey hissed and leapt up into the trees.

"Velocimon, you're alive!"

"You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm glad you're okay."

Just as Velocimon was talking, Mandrimon's tail swooped down and knocked him aside. Velocimon fired upwards again, but Mandrimon was too fast and too elusive. He kept dropping down and hitting the two partners, before springing back up into the treetops before they could hit back. The constant harrowing blows were beginning to wear both Aaron and Velocimon down.

Aaron felt the D-Nexus begin to vibrate gently. The stats screen was being displayed, and Aaron could see Velocimon's energy getting low. The tough little dinosaur wasn't showing any signs of slowing, but it was obvious he couldn't hold on indefinitely.

Suddenly the bushes next to them burst open. "Aaron, oh my god, are you alright?"

Aaron felt a wave of relief as he saw Eloise and all the other humans and partners in the bushes, apparently having been looking for them.

"Having a little trouble at the moment," said Velocimon, before he was knocked aside once again. This time as he got up, he slipped, his right arm injured. He was cut and bruised all over his body, and he was unable to fire any sparks, his energy too low.

Despite himself, Mandrimon let out a giggle. "You know you're not going to last for much longer."

The others strained to get a clear look at Mandrimon, but he was far too fast. He leapt down and barrelled into Aaron, knocking him to his knees.

"Aaron!"

Aaron looked up. "That's it; I'm not taking this any more."

Aaron stood up, with a new determination, a new confidence. Velocimon seemed to feel it as well, looking at his partner with awe.

Aaron looked at his D-Nexus. Velocimon's image was beginning to glow, and the mysterious Energy Transfer meter was slowly filling. He felt the energy within him build up. Looking down at himself he saw a circle of light over his chest; the same symbol that had appeared earlier, when he had first partnered with Velocimon.

Velocimon got to his feet as well. A newfound energy within him, Aaron held out his arm and saw yellow energy travel along it, from the elemental seal to the D-Nexus. It tingled, feeling warm and cold at the same time, yet strangely comforting.

The Energy Transfer meter reached one-hundred percent, and the screen emitted a brilliant white glow. Acting on instinct, Aaron yelled;

"Primal Control!"

Mandrimon leapt out of the way as trails of energy and electricity shot from the D-Nexus, heading straight towards Velocimon. They surrounded him, and the small dinosaur's body began to glow. He blinked, his eyes letting off little bolts of energy. The yellow light was enveloping him in rapid pulses, lighting up the forest around him.

"Evolution Activate!"

Velocimon's body grew in size, and his proportions became more like those of a human. The metallic bands around his body morphed into straps that spanned his chest and shoulders. His arms, legs and tail lengthened, with switchblades attaching to his feet and the tip of his tail. His knuckle-guns shifted, before they sprouted wicked-looking blades. Wires traced their way up his arms, culminating under newly formed shoulder-pads. His crest morphed into a helmet, and his skin colour morphed from yellow-green to a golden colour.

The whole process only took a couple of seconds from start to finish. The glow faded, and the rest of the group stared in wonder at the new creature before them.

"Galvamon!"

* * *

"You did it!"

Perimon's remark led a volley of cheering from the watching Digimon, as Kent got out his D-Nexus, pointing it at what used to be Velocimon.

"_Galvamon. Champion Level, Data Attribute. Attacks: Strike Thunder, Charge Bolt_"

"I think we might just have gained an advantage here," said the older boy.

Aaron felt dizzy, stumbling over onto his knees. He had felt the energy somehow leaving him and entering his partner, and it had left him drained. Suddenly, Mandrimon shot out of the treetops towards him. "You can't win!" he screamed, balling energy in his hands.

Aaron covered his face, but the monkey abruptly looped round, having had his tail grabbed by Galvamon. Mandrimon crashed into a tree behind him, before he scurried up into the treetops again.

"You can't bring me down that easily. Gyro Flare!"

The ring of energy sliced down once again, but Galvamon dodged it effortlessly. He raised his hands, the wires glowing with white-hot energy.

"Strike Thunder!"

Galvamon fired two intense electric beams into the canopy, leaving a burning smell and a static aura. The group heard Mandrimon scream, and more fireballs hurtled towards the dinosaur.

Aaron got to his feet. "He's still too fast. You'll be really lucky to get a direct hit on him."

Galvamon smiled, showing small needle-like teeth. "I haven't finished with him yet."

Galvamon's blades retracted and he brought his hands together, interlocking his claws and charging up energy.

"Charge Bolt!"

The group ducked to the ground as bolts of electricity crackled around Galvamon's fists, reaching up into the canopy. They shot erratically in all directions, and it wouldn't be long before they found their target.

Another scream from Mandrimon was all Galvamon needed. All of the bolts converged in one particular place, and they followed the quivering body as it dropped down and landed in an unceremonious heap. Galvamon released his grip and made a move towards Mandrimon, who was getting to his feet, snarling savagely.

Galvamon swung round, delivering a kick to Mandrimon's head. Mandrimon retaliated with a swipe, but Galvamon caught his arm and wrenched it, before hoisting the monkey over his shoulder and driving him to the ground.

As Mandrimon struggled to get to his feet, Galvamon downed him again with another kick and a slash from his tail. The orbs around Mandrimon's head and arms were flickering dimly, and his skin was blackened from the earlier assault.

Severely weakened, he rolled onto his side. "You won't stand a chance against the Commanders."

Mandrimon let out a laugh, before launching himself at Galvamon with the last of his strength. Galvamon flung him into another tree, which shook violently from the impact. Galvamon raised his arms once again, pointing straight towards his adversary.

"We're about to turn the tide of this war. There's no place for you now."

Mandrimon spat with contempt.

"Strike Thunder!"

The two bolts impaled Mandrimon through the chest. He screeched one last time, his cries fading into static as his body disintegrated into data bits. They floated towards Galvamon, who simply stood and received them, absorbing their power. Then it was over.

Aaron walked towards his newly improved partner. "Thanks. Really, I can't thank you enough."

Galvamon smiled. "I should be thanking you. You gave me the strength I needed."

"How?"

"Your emotion, Aaron. That moment, when you stood up against Mandrimon, for my sake and the sake of the others, that was when your energy gave me the power to evolve."

He grinned. "See, I told you it would all work out in the end!"

Aaron dropped his head. "Well, it's only just begun. You heard what he said, the Commanders are still out there, as well as countless Fire Digimon. How many times will we have to do this?"

In front of him, Galvamon began to glow once again. He dispersed into lights that returned to Aaron's D-Nexus, leaving Velocimon standing there.

"We'll get through it."

* * *

Jack leaned his head out from the group. "That was awesome!"

Aaron and Velocimon finally rejoined with the group, where an irritated Eloise began to berate him. "Why would you run off into an obviously dangerous forest in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah, Mandrimon was kind of chasing us then."

Eloise rolled her eyes. "Whatever, it's too early to start putting people in danger."

"I don't think we have a choice."

"You know what I mean!"

Jack interjected. "So when do the rest of us get awesome fighting monsters?"

Grace shushed him, but Perimon flew over indignantly. "What do you mean? I'm perfectly awesome enough!"

Jack looked a little embarrassed, but Velocimon simply smirked. "Looks like you'll never be as awesome as me."

"You would have had your ass kicked if Aaron wasn't around."

Velocimon looked bored. "Perimon please, there are children present. Anyway it's not like you would have been any help."

The two began bickering once again, although Aaron suspected that his partner was just leading Perimon on. A frustrated Vulpimon had her head in her paws. "Do you guys ever stop?"

Grace knelt down and stroked her partner's fur. "I think it's a boy thing. They like to show off."

She stood up again, looking up into the sky. "Everyone, I think it's morning."

She was right. The sun was beginning to rise above the treeline, revealing the forest in all its glory. Ladomon spiralled up into the sunbeams, her wings spread wide. "Oh, that feels so good!"

Kai walked over to Aaron, Colchimon coiled around his shoulders. "So, where are we headed?"

"Inland. We need to get out of this forest." Aaron strained to look above the treeline, but couldn't see. Ladomon climbed a bit higher, looking out in all directions. "Over there the forest thins a bit, and then there's a mountain range."

Aaron smiled at Kai. "Excellent, we have directions."

He walked back over to where his and Jack's partner were still spouting off at one another.

"Okay, this is amusing but we ought to make a move. I don't want to be attacked by any more psychotic monkeys for at least another three hours."

Reluctantly Perimon pulled away, stopping to make a face at Velocimon before flying up once again.

Aaron and his partner proudly walked side by side as they led the motley group away out of the forest. It was the beginning of a brand new day, and for once, all was well.


	4. Episode 4: Existential Crisis

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 4: Existential Crisis

The sun was rising steadily higher in the sky, illuminating the dense forest bit by bit. With the full light hitting the leaves the group could see the full splendour of the crystal trees, as they glistened with iridescent colours. The sky was a light blue, and it would have looked like a nice day back home on Earth, if it hadn't been for the faint etchings of circuits and grids criss-crossing the blue.

The group had been lucky and had not run into any more trouble, and as they trekked onwards they noticed the forest beginning to clear. Dense woodland gave way to open space, and before long they left the forest altogether. Before them was a remarkable sight (one which Eloise added to her steadily growing list of remarkable sights from the last 24 hours).

The grassland stretched before them like a huge football pitch, a huge sea of vibrant green with scarcely a patch of mud to be seen, aside from a beaten path that wound its way through the green. Here and there were clumps of bushes and the odd tree, although a different kind entirely from the crystal forest, with huge, drooping leaves and tall, thin trunks.

There were Digimon everywhere, although none of them paid any heed to the new group that had entered their home. A group of Monochromon grazed nonchalantly while a lone Brachiomon plodded about in the distance. Dozens of in-training Digimon hopped and crawled about in the grass, playing in their own little world. The group heard a chorus of cries from up above as a flock of Biyomon flew overhead, being pursued from a distance by a lone Yatagaramon, which lazily flapped its wings and wheeled away to intercept them at a later point.

The humans gaped. "I don't believe it," said Jack, "it looks so different."

He looked back at the forest behind him. It looked like another world, and seemed to ripple in the sunlight.

Colchimon hovered just above Kai's shoulder. "You'll get used to that."

"What do you mean?"

"Moving between areas. Since the Digital World is constantly changing, different areas get bunched together, so you can end up travelling between two completely different areas."

"So does the data change, or do whole blocks just shift about?" Kent queried.

Trilomon stepped up. "They can do either. To be honest nobody knows exactly how data works here."

"Great."

Eloise looked at Kent with a puzzled expression. What was his problem? He seemed a curious and scientific person, why was he being so negative?

Aaron broke into her thoughts, "Velocimon says we should head towards the mountain range. If we carry on at a steady pace we should be there mid-afternoon."

The group agreed and made their way through the grassland. It felt strange, being out in the open. An attack from a Fire Digimon could come from anywhere at any moment, yet in this peaceful place it didn't seem possible for any sort of conflict. At least that's how it seemed at first, but a strangled cry from one of the Biyomon flock as it was caught by the Yatagaramon was enough to remind the group to stay on their guard.

* * *

The morning wore on. As the sun rose higher the journey began to get uncomfortable. Aaron and Velocimon led, with Eloise, Jack and Grace close behind, Vulpimon trotting at their feet. Kent kept pace behind them, saying little and looking ill at ease, with Trilomon walking just a few steps behind him. Kai walked slowly at the back; being careful not to get left too far back. Perimon and Ladomon hovered above the group, while a tired Colchimon was draped over Kai's shoulders. He wasn't a fan of sunlight.

"I wish we could get attacked again. That was fun!"

Grace gave her brother a sharp look, her ponytail bouncing around. "That wasn't 'fun'. I don't want you running off into danger."

"But I'm not running anywhere...?"

Grace buried her head in her hands, the combination of the heat and her brother giving her a headache. Eloise sidled up to Jack. "This isn't just a game you know. We don't want anybody to get hurt here. Fighting might seem fun, but it's more trouble than it's worth."

Jack harrumphed. "I'm not a little kid any more, I know it's dangerous. I just want to see Perimon evolve."

Perimon swooped in. "I promise you, kid. When I evolve, it's going to be spectacular. Just you wait."

Grace looked up. "Don't encourage him, he's already excited enough."

Jack looked at his partner and rolled his eyes. Perimon shrugged, "Sisters."

A voice came from down by Grace's feet, "I can hear you, Perimon. Don't make me come up there." Vulpimon let off a little cloud of cold air as a warning, the breeze much to the relief of the people around her.

Aaron paused, having been listening. He looked at Velocimon, "How does that evolution thing work anyway?"

His partner looked him in the eye. "I told you before, it was your emotions that gave me power."

"Yes I know, but how did you get bigger, and where did all the armour and stuff come from?"

Velocimon frowned. "I guess from absorbing the data around me. I take it in, convert it into a different form, and then release it again when I no longer need it."

Aaron felt confused, and was about to ask another question, when Eloise butted in, "Aaron, look! Your leg, it's gotten better!"

Aaron looked down, the group following his gaze. Eloise was right; the red-raw burn marks from Cephalomon's attack last night were now just dark markings, as if they had miraculously healed. Aaron rubbed them, and founf the pain was gone as well. Even the holes in his shorts where the napalm had burned through were now fixed.

Aaron looked at Trilomon. "How the heck did that happen?"

Trilomon scuttled up. "You're made of data now. You must be unconsciously absorbing data in order to return to your original template from when you entered this world."

Aaron looked down again. "Woah."

Kent had his head down, his hair drooping down in front of his face. Trilomon cocked his head as he looked at the markings on Aaron's leg. "I wouldn't get too confident though, it'll probably only work for minor wounds."

"Shut up Trilomon."

"If you lost a limb or something and absorbed too much data, you might end up becoming something completely different and –"

"I said shut UP!"

Trilomon flinched, as if he had been struck. Shaking, he looked round at his partner, who was trembling himself, although more with anger than fear, his eyes pointed at the ground. The sudden noise had disturbed a group of Tanemon nearby, who ran off into the grass.

Without lifting his gaze, Kent spoke. "I don't want to hear about it."

None of the others, human or Digimon, said a word. Trilomon backed away into the grass, slowly, never taking his eyes off of his partner.

Kai stepped up to the group. "It's hot. I think our tempers are getting up somewhat. Perhaps we need to find some shade or something."

Grace pointed. "There's a watering hole just over there, with trees around it for shade, if that's what you meant."

Aaron swallowed, looking at Kent, not wanting to speak. Eventually he did. "Okay, let's stop and rest for a bit."

* * *

"Out of the way, I'm going in!"

Perimon's cry rang out across the grassland as he cannoned into the water, sending up a spray towards the surrounding members of the group. Vulpimon, resting as she was underneath one of the nearby trees, was not impressed at getting her fur wet.

Eloise had taken off her jacket and was lying on her back in the shade, with Ladomon and Colchimon resting in the tree above her, talking amongst themselves. She was comfortable enough, and they had yet to be shooed away by the other visitors to the watering hole. She sighed. To be honest, she kind of enjoyed it here. The weather was certainly nicer than back home.

Home. She lifted her head, watching Grace and Jack paddling in the shallow water in front of her. It had only been a day since they had been taken, and yet the once familiar town now seemed to be so far away. She twisted around onto her front, and her eyes fell upon Kent, who was sat on his own, back resting against a tree, with his laptop out in front of him.

"Eloise."

She turned around again, her long hair falling down her face. She brushed it aside and saw Aaron standing above her, "What do you want?"

"We haven't eaten in a while. I was just going to go for an explore. You don't have to come, I just thought I'd let you know this time."

Eloise gave him a warning look. "You probably shouldn't go on your own."

"Velocimon's coming with me. But if you're really that worried..."

Aaron turned around and whistled. Kai looked up from his D-Nexus. Eloise noticed he was even further away than Kent was. She huffed, annoyed with the number of antisocial people surrounding her.

Aaron called to Kai. "Did you fancy coming for a look around with me?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Come on, it'll be fun." He nodded in a somewhat peculiar fashion.

Kai raised his eyebrows for a second. Then he shrugged, pocketed his D-Nexus and walked over. "Alright."

Colchimon, having been listening in, flew down and twisted himself once again around his partner's shoulders. "Onwards to adventure! And hopefully dinner!"

Aaron turned again. "We'll be back soon. Don't worry too much about us."

Eloise gave a little smile. "You are getting used to this leader thing, aren't you."

Aaron smiled back, and the two teenagers with their two partners walked away into the grassland.

Eloise leant back once again. It was all very well for them to pretend that everything was okay, but, as the outburst earlier had shown, the stress was beginning to get to some people. Her eyes drifted upwards to Kent again. He seemed calm enough now, but it was obvious that something had been getting to him. Eloise noted the dull concentration in his eyes as they drifted across his computer screen.

What's more, Trilomon was hiding away as well. The little insect was crouched down in the long grass, out of sight from his partner. They hadn't shared a single word since the outburst.

Ladomon glided down towards Eloise, floating just above her head.

"What do I do, Ladomon? I don't want to just sit here and let them vent off at one another, but I don't know what to say."

"Just do what you think is right," said Ladomon. "Maybe all Kent needs right now is someone to talk to."

She hovered back up to the tree to catch some more sunlight. Eloise sat up, blinking as the sun's rays hit her once again. Over by the water Grace and Jack had come back onto land and were now sat down next to each other. Perimon was still in the water, being a nuisance to the lone Monochromon who had come for refreshment.

Eloise stood up and walked over to the older boy, leaning up against the tree trunk and peering over his shoulder at his laptop. He seemed to be looking at some sort of code or program, which kept shifting and fluctuating across the screen.

"What are you doing there?"

Kent turned his head, just slightly. "I'm scanning the local area. Since the world's made out of data I can bring it up on here."

Eloise looked rather taken aback. "Um, how exactly are you 'scanning the area'?"

Kent didn't look up, instead picking something up. Eloise raised her eyebrows; Kent had somehow managed to wire his D-Nexus up to his laptop, and was using the device's map function to dig deep into the workings of the world.

"Did you come over here for a reason?"

Kent's voice was monotone; he was too focused on the screen before him to pay any attention to Eloise. His hands hovered over the keyboard for a few moments, waiting for her to walk away. Instead she sat down next to him, bringing her knees up and clasping her hands around them.

"It all looks very impressive, you know. Do you do Computing at college?"

"I did. But that wasn't what I asked. What did you come over here for?"

Eloise bit her lip. Obviously Kent didn't really get casual conversation.

"Look, you're upset. It's been a tough night, you're allowed to be upset. But you won't solve anything by just sitting here looking up code. Talk to one of us."

There was an awkward silence. Kent turned to face her, his deep black eyes burrowing into her sea-green ones. His face was virtually expressionless.

Suddenly he flicked the power switch and closed the laptop lid.

"Where are we, Eloise? What have we become?"

* * *

Aaron looked back once they had gotten far enough away from the group. It had felt kind of awkward leaving Eloise alone with Kent and the younger kids, but he was sure she could manage. Anyway, if anything went wrong they had their Digimon there to protect them.

Kai walked casually alongside him, completely at ease. Aaron hadn't been lying when he said they needed to find food, after all, none of them had eaten since they'd arrived in the Digital World. But he had another reason for the two of them to come out here alone. Since they'd arrived, Kai had barely spoken to the rest of the group, except to make a sarcastic comment or give an opinion. He wasn't under stress like Kent, at least not as far as Aaron could see, but there was something more to this mysterious boy.

Kai flicked his head sideways, having noticed Aaron eyeing him. Aaron coughed and looked away, sheepishly.

"So?"

It was Colchimon who had asked the question. Aaron turned back to see them both staring at him. He couldn't decide which stare he found more unsettling.

Kai spoke. "You had another reason for bringing me out here, didn't you?"

Aaron breathed in. Velocimon said nothing, simply listening to the conversation beside him as he walked on.

"You don't talk much to us. I wasn't sure whether you were uncomfortable around us or not."

Kai continued to stare at him. His skin looked almost white in the bright sunlight.

"You don't need to worry about me. I don't tend to socialise very well. It's just how I am."

"Yes, but it's more than that. You're never bothered or surprised by anything that goes on around us. Even when we were fighting Cephalomon you stayed completely cool, even trying to talk to him. When we first talked with our partners, you were the first one to volunteer to stay. You seem to look at the Digital World in a completely different way."

Aaron paused. He was sure Kai knew what he was going to ask.

"Kai, have you been to the Digital World before?"

Kai stopped. He didn't flinch, gasp or even raise his eyebrows. He just stared ahead. Colchimon twisted round and looked at his partner. He did seem shocked at the question, and was as interested in the answer as Aaron and Velocimon were.

Kai shook his head, his spiky hair swaying from side to side.

"No. I don't know whether you want to believe me or not, but I've never been to this place before."

Aaron relented. "I see. Sorry."

"Not an issue."

The four carried on. Aaron and Kai were talking amongst themselves, so Colchimon slipped off Kai's shoulders and hovered near to Velocimon. "Do you think he could have come here before?" he whispered.

Velocimon shrugged. "I don't know. I know that humans have done so, but whether he was one of them I have no idea."

"Maybe I should get him to talk to the others?"

Velocimon shook his head. "What goes on between the humans is their business, not ours. If he wants your help, don't be afraid to give advice, but you may have to work that out between yourselves."

Colchimon sighed, his long neck drooping. "I barely know anything about him. We talk, but he never brings up his family or his friends or anything. I kind of worry about him."

Velocimon slyly looked back, and saw Aaron and Kai chatting to each other a fair way away. He turned to face the dragon.

"I've already said that you'll have to work out your own deal with Kai. But remember, the humans are here to help us. We have to protect them, no matter the cost."

He nodded towards the boy in the raincoat. "Whatever happens to Kai you must be there for him. Promise me that."

Without hesitation, Colchimon nodded. "I promise."

* * *

"I'm not sure how much longer I can take this, Eloise."

Kent had his head rested against the tree trunk, his laptop gently slipping off his lap.

"Everyone seems to be completely okay with the fact we're not human any more. We're just computer programs now. Everything about us has changed. We're now subject to the laws of this world."

Eloise shook her head. "You're wrong, Kent. They told us when we first got here; we're still exactly the same people we were."

"It's all very easy for you to say that. You don't understand." Kent picked up a twig from beside him, and fingered one of the ends. "I study Computing and Biology at my college. I see the world around me as it is. Bound by logic and sense. But now that doesn't work any more."

Eloise rubbed the back of her head. His words were pretty blunt, but he was right. She didn't understand what he was going through. She didn't see the world as he did.

"It doesn't work like that. You can't judge everything by logic and sense."

"Ow!"

Kent cried out as his hand slipped, and he impaled one of his fingers with the twig.

"Are you okay?"

Kent pulled the twig out and eyed the tiny wound. For a moment nothing happened, then slowly his finger was covered by a tiny digital field. The skin around the cut grew, stretched, and reattached itself. It only took a couple of seconds. Kent felt where the scratch had been. There was no pain, no irregularity, no indication that the scratch had been there at all. He dropped the twig.

"You see what I mean? For now it's okay, but what happens when someone does get seriously injured. We could become something completely different to what we were. Our memories or our behaviours could be changed. We have no control over who we are here, we just change. It just happens."

"You are who you are, Kent. There's no changing that. But remember, we're here to help you if you need us. Trilomon is too. You can't just keep pushing him away."

Kent looked blankly before him. A breeze blew up and made the surface of the water ripple.

"Remember when I agreed to stay here?"

Eloise remembered everything about that night. "You said you weren't staying to help the Digimon, right?"

"That's right. I felt I had to stay to make sure we were safe. Us humans, I mean. I'm the oldest one here. It's my job to get everyone home."

"Kent..."

"But the Digimon belong here. They're different to us, they're a part of this world. I can't risk my life to help something so different. I don't even know if they're alive. Hell, I don't even know if I'm alive any more."

"But Trilomon swore to protect you. They're there to help us Kent, and in return we support them and help them save their world. They're our partners now."

Kent shook his head. "I'm sorry, Eloise. I don't think I can ever be his partner."

He stood up.

"I'm going for a walk. I need to clear my thoughts. Thank you for coming to talk with me."

He turned to go. Eloise raised her hand, "Wait!"

He stopped, twisting his head slightly to listen.

Eloise spoke. "I don't know how to help you understand. But look around you. Look at us, and our partners. Look at Grace and Vulpimon, or Jack and Perimon. Or look at me."

Ladomon listened to her partner from her little nest in the tree above.

"Trilomon would risk his life for you. Please be there for him."

Kent waited for a moment, then carried on walking. Eloise watched him go,.

In the long grass beside the lake, a small armoured head turned as Kent left the clearing.

"I need you, partner."

* * *

Kai, Aaron and their partners had been walking around for a couple of hours, but they'd seen no sign of any kind of food here. Aside from the grass, which, while it might have been okay for the Monochromon, didn't seem like a viable option for six ravenous humans.

Still, it had kept them occupied, and they hadn't run across anything dangerous. They decided to head back the way they'd come, sticking to the path which led back to the watering hole.

Aaron was checking out his D-Nexus again, trying to get more information about the evolution.

"So, how strong can you actually get with this thing?"

Velocimon walked casually beside his partner, with Kai and Colchimon just behind.

"It's complicated. The stage of a Digimon is divided into levels. After we hatch from eggs, the first two levels, Fresh and In-Training, are growth and recovery stages that require very little energy. Then we reach the Rookie level, which is the default level for energy and combat power. After that the stages become more and more powerful; there's Champion, Ultimate, Mega and very occasionally a Super-Ultimate Level."

Kai was listening in. "So Cephalomon was a Mega wasn't he?"

"Yes."

"Then why were you able to battle him off? And why did you seem to have more trouble with Mandrimon, if he should have been weaker?"

Velocimon rubbed his eyes. "I told you it was complicated. There are lots of factors that contribute to the power of a Digimon. We were able to beat Cephalomon because we had a terrain advantage, surprise, the elements powering us up, and an awful lot of luck. But no battle is ever the same."

Colchimon came in. "It gets even more complex when we're partnered with a human. You can give us the energy we need to reach new heights of power, and to be honest I have no idea how it works. Not even Trilomon knows, and he's usually the expert of this sort of thing. But I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

Kai stopped, interrupting.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

The other two partners stopped and looked around them. To be honest, it was impossible for them to tell where they were, with nothing but grass on all sides.

"Did we take a wrong turning? How many times did the path split off?"

Kai counted in his head. "Maybe two or three. I wasn't really counting."

Velocimon sighed. "That was helpful."

Colchimon raised his head, irritated. "Hey, you should have said something!"

"I would have thought it was obvious."

"Yeah, but you can't expect everyone else to think the way you do all the time."

"It's just common sense."

Colchimon unwrapped himself and flew up to Velocimon's face. It was the first time Kai had seen him legitimately annoyed.

"You know what, sometimes you can be a real pri-"

"Guys, quiet!"

The dragon stopped and looked to where Aaron was pointing. So did Kai and Velocimon, and they jumped. Where before there had been only grass there was now a bright red hillock. It was huge, about the size of a bungalow, and there were black stripes across it and a trail of green spines running over it. And it was shifting and beginning to make ominous sounds.

Aaron whispered. "I think you woke it up."

Velocimon nudged his partner, "Shush. Maybe it will go back to sleep."

But it didn't. To the horror of the watching humans and Digimon, the hill began to unfold. Huge arms and legs ending in wicked-looking claws unwrapped themselves and dug into the ground, hauling up the huge red body. A stumpy red tail appeared, and the creature's head raised up to reveal a white underbelly. The beast yawned, showing a row of conical teeth, and it rose to its full height, revealing itself to be some sort of dinosaur.

It opened its eyes, and the onlooking partners saw two blue discs, distorted and maddened by a fiery haze. It had been affected by the Fire influence.

The dinosaur turned its head and looked straight towards the small group. It opened its mouth and roared, a pained digital roar that shook across the grassland. Then, without warning, it began to walk away.

Velocimon was stunned. "What's it doing? Why didn't it attack us?"

"Maybe it's friendly?" said Aaron, but Kai disagreed,

"No, it looks mad enough to attack anything that looks at it funny, let alone wakes it up."

He brought out his D-Nexus and scanned the retreating dinosaur.

"_Tyranno__mon. Champion Level, Data Attribute. Attacks: Blaze Blast, Slash Claw_"

_"A usually gentle giant, Tyrannomon is both strong and intelligent. When it enters battle it can use its mighty power to crush and incinerate its enemies."_

Aaron brought his hand up to his forehead, "Oh no!"

"What?"

Aaron explained. "It's been sleeping here for goodness knows how long, with plenty of food around, but no water."

Kai frowned, "So it's going to get a drink?" Then it hit him, "The watering hole!"

Aaron set off, the others in quick pursuit. "We need to stop it before it reaches the others!"

Velocimon scooted forwards, firing sparks at the mighty dinosaur, who simply flinched them off.

"Aaron, I need to evolve now!"

"I know, just hang on..."

Aaron was shaking as he tapped buttons on the D-Nexus, but the Energy Transfer meter was barely moving. He shook it, but nothing happened.

"Aaron, any time now!"

"It's not working!"

"What do you mean?"

Distracted, Velocimon found himself running into the back of Tyrannomon's leg. Before he could jump out the way, Tyrannomon's tail swooped across and knocked him off his feet, sending him spinning into the long grass.

Aaron and Kai ran over to him. He was dazed but still ready to fight.

Kai pointed. "Colchimon, stop him!"

Colchimon flew up behind the dinosaur, and formed a small sphere between his wings.

"Paralysis Pulse!"

The sphere flew into Tyrannomon's back. This time the dinosaur stopped, temporarily frozen in place. The others tried to catch him up, but before they could do anything Tyrannomon, with a tremble and a roar, broke free.

Colchimon flinched. "Sorry, it doesn't work so well in bright light."

Angered, Tyrannomon whirled round and stared down the four. With a gargling cry, he formed a great ball of fire in his ferocious maw.

"Blaze Blast!"

The fireball slammed into the ground, the group only just jumping out of the way. Kai stood up first, seeing Tyrannomon's great mass slowly retreating behind the blazing mass of grass.

He beckoned to the others. "We can't follow him now. We need to get away from here before the fire cuts us off."

Colchimon and Velocimon were doing their best to extinguish the flames, but the powers of Electricity and Darkness weren't really cut out for the job. Velocimon looked up. "We'll just have to leave it. Let's find another way round."

Aaron stared into the distance. "I hope we can make it in time."

* * *

Over by the lake, the group had heard the roar of the new danger long before they finally saw it. Grace and her brother retreated back to where Eloise was hidden, as their Digimon stood watching, waiting for the creature to appear.

The ground began to shake with the beast's footsteps, and the lone Monochromon took off into the long grass with a panicked grunt. Time seemed to slow down as the three children waited. The footsteps got louder and more intense.

With a roar, Tyrannomon came into view. His eyes fell upon the watering hole and it powered through the grass, his claws digging into the hard, cracked earth. He stopped, bent his head and drank, taking up great gulps of water. After about a minute, he lifted his head once again. The water droplets around its mouth evaporated, and he let off a satisfied humph. Then his eyes swivelled once again, and fell upon the humans and Digimon beneath the tree. His eyes flashed, possibly with malice, or possibly with hunger.

Without warning it turned on the spot, charging up a fireball in its mouth and releasing it;

"Blaze Blast!"

The group scattered and the fireball impacted on the tree trunk, splintering it and sending it crashing to the ground. The monster walked towards them, its lips pulled back in a hideous grimace.

Vulpimon ran forward, her hackles up and her fur glistening with ice crystals.

"Snow Blast!"

The cold blast coated Tyrannomon's leg in a layer of ice, making the beast stumble. She ran out of the way as the ice shattered, and Tyrannomon swiped. His massive claws caught Vulpimon's back legs and she skidded, rolling over in the dust.

Grace cried out, "Vulpimon, careful!"

Calling out a battle cry of his own, Perimon flew high up into the sky, before diving down towards Tyrannomon, leaving a trail behind him. He cannoned into Tyrannomon's bony skull and ricocheted off, curving back round for another blow. Jack was pumping his fists in the air, "Go Perimon! Take him down!"

Ladomon had also joined the battle, slithering through the air with ease. Basking in the sun had filled her with energy, and her tail was glowing brightly. She thrust it forward, calling out "Sun Spear!", as she let off beam after beam of concentrated light.

The three Digimon bombarded Tyrannomon again and again with their attacks, but they were having little effect against the behemoth. He swivelled his head and saw Perimon swooping towards him yet again. With a savage growl he swung his forearm round, sending Perimon spiralling down to earth. Then he turned to face the oncoming Ladomon. She had been making her way behind him, hoping to get in a critical blow, but when she came face to face with his maddened eyes, she hesitated, frozen with fear. Tyrannomon opened his mouth.

"Ladomon, watch out!"

Perimon, quickly recovered, zoomed up in front of Ladomon, the fireball heading straight towards him.

"Wind Tunnel!"

The vortex of spiralling air hit the fireball and it burst, flames spiralling away. The blast of heat sent both Rookies flying back. Tyrannomon took a step, intending to finish them off, but something grabbed hold of him. He looked down and saw a cloud of white fog accumulated around his foot, where Vulpimon was digging her teeth into his tough skin. Angrily, he stomped down, trying to dislodge her.

Eloise was panicking. The Rookies were taking a beating, and there was no sign of Aaron or Kai. Kent had disappeared as well, leaving just her and the two youngest children. She knelt down beside Ladomon, who was struggling to stay upright.

"Are you okay? Try to stay focused, we need you to hold out a bit longer."

Ladomon shook her head. "I'm sorry Eloise. I can't hold him off without Colchimon here."

"What do you mean?"

"We've always fought together. I'm too weak without him."

"You're not weak." Eloise stood up to her full height, holding her D-Nexus firmly. "I'm here for you Ladomon. You can do this!"

Ladomon flew up, her confidence rising. Eloise looked towards Grace and Jack.

"Stay with me. We can still hold out."

Grace shook her head. "How? The Digimon aren't strong enough, not on their own."

"Just have faith in them."

"But look at Perimon..."

Perimon was staggering around, his vision blurring. Jack was crouched down next to him.

"You need to rest. You can't keep fighting this hard."

Perimon gritted his beak, a determined expression on his face. "I'm gonna fight until the end. Nothing's gonna stop me."

Jack held his D-Nexus so tightly his knuckles were turning white. He looked at the screen and frantically pressed the keys. The Energy Transfer meter was empty.

"Why can't I make you evolve?"

Perimon looked at his partner. He saw the fear and adrenaline on the young boy's face, but he also saw something else. Disappointment.

Perimon spread his wings, his determination turned to anger.

"That's it, I'm taking this thing down by myself if I have to."

He took off, Jack calling after him, "Perimon, wait!"

Perimon wasn't listening. His heart was thumping as he wheeled round and prepared to strike a major blow to Tyrannomon. Tyrannomon was still pursuing Vulpimon, having managed to shake her off his foot. Her exhausted body was stretched out next to the lake.

With a victory cry, Perimon shot forwards, spinning in a lethal helix towards his opponent.

"Barrel Drive!"

Tyrannomon saw him. The dinosaur brought his arm back and swiped at Perimon. Surprised, Perimon wheeled away as best he could, but he ended up flying straight towards Tyrannomon's other arm. Tyrannomon's left claw closed around Perimon's body, trapping the bird in a vice-like grip.

Tyrannomon began to squeeze as Perimon gasped for air, his vision blurring.

"PERIMON, NO!"

* * *

Kent had been walking on his own, well aware of the danger around him. He didn't care though, he needed to clear his head.

He looked at his hand once again, where he had impaled himself with the twig. How could he come to terms with this world? Frankly, he missed the plain boring world he had been pulled away from. He'd often wondered over the past twenty-four hours why he had run towards the vortex to begin with. He hadn't known anyone there, yet he had run over and tried to save them, ending up getting pulled through himself.

Tyrannomon's roar reached his ears, and he looked back towards the lake. He hadn't realised just how far he'd walked. He could tell there was trouble by the clouds of smoke rising up. For a moment he hesitated, unsure what to do. Sure, the others were there, but perhaps Aaron and Kai were too. He certainly couldn't help fight whatever was the cause of the trouble, what with his own partner missing. Galvamon probably could though, and perhaps one of the others would be able to evolve their partner.

Kent took a step back, but couldn't go any further. This was ridiculous. He barely knew anyone. There was no way he could ever understand them. Why were they risking their lives to save the Digimon, who they'd only just met?

Kent brought his foot forward, and took a step. Then another. And another. He kept telling himself they were fine, that there was no reason for him to go back. Except there was. He had promised to protect the other Digidestined. He couldn't just walk away and leave them when they needed his help. He broke into a run, sprinting towards the flames and the chaos by the watering hole.

Kent burst into the clearing. Eloise, Grace and Jack were grouped together next to the burning remains of a tree, their Digimon fighting a huge dinosaur-like Digimon. There was no sign of Aaron, Kai or their partners.

Kent was about to call out when he noticed something. Something was shining in the dinosaur's left claw. Kent gasped. Perimon!

Jack was screaming for his partner, tears running down his cheeks. Tyrannomon closed its claw tighter and Perimon let out a cry of pain.

"PERIMON, NO!"

* * *

_ Rain._

_ "Where were you?"_

_ Raindrops thrashed against the shop window, before running down the windowsill and into the gutter below._

_ "I needed you. Why didn't you help me?"_

_ "I didn't know..."_

_ "No, of course not. You never know."_

_ The light from the street lamp above flickered and dimmed slightly._

_ "You never cared about anyone. We were just too different, weren't we."_

_ "No..."_

_ "It's not your fault. As you said, you didn't know. You were only focused on yourself. Nothing need interfere with your life."_

_ Water splashed up from the other's footsteps as he turned._

_ "The rest of us are only human. Maybe one day you'll drop us a visit."_

_ The footsteps died down as the other walked back down the darkened alleyway..._

* * *

Something stirred within Kent.

Without thinking he ran forward, his feet kicking up mud from the cracked earth. He heard Eloise shout something, saw Grace pointing out the corner of his eye. He didn't slow down, determined on helping Perimon. He brought his shoulder forward and, with all his strength, cannoned into Tyrannomon's lower leg.

Tyrannomon stumbled, waving his arms about to steady himself. His left claw shifted slightly and Perimon slipped out, crashing to the ground and laying still. Kent hit the ground too, knocking his arm against the hard earth. He gritted his teeth in pain, and looking up he saw Tyrannomon turn to face him, a fury in his eyes.

Kent tried to right himself, but his arm flared in pain and he slipped, unable to stop the great foot that was about to come crashing down on him. He closed his eyes.

The blow never came. Tyrannomon stumbled again, the ground beneath his other foot crumbling, sending him staggering into the lake. Kent looked at where the ground had broken and saw a familiar shape. With dust coating his armour and a fierce glow in his eyes, Trilomon leapt towards Tyrannomon, tucking his body into a tiny bladed sphere.

"Rolling Blade!"

Trilomon hit Tyrannomon on the arm and began to climb up, but Tyrannomon was too quick for him. He swung his free arm and batted Trilomon away, sending him with a splash into the shallow water. He righted himself, slipping a little as his armour shifted and dislodged. He looked around and saw Kent, who was sat up looking in wonder at the brave little insect.

Tyrannomon roared and charged a fireball, when all of a sudden a familiar voice rang out from the surrounding grassland.

"Strike Thunder!"

With a growl of his own Galvamon leapt into the clearing, firing off his twin beams of lightning. Aaron, Kai and Colchimon followed, with Colchimon flying straight towards Ladomon.

Tyrannomon batted Galvamon's attack away and swiped at him, with a feral shout of "Slash Claw!"

Galvamon jumped out of the way and began landing punches and kicks on the mighty dinosaur. But Tyrannomon was strong and surprisingly fast, and was able to counter most of them, occasionally sending Galvamon flying away into the water. Aaron stood on the bank, willing his partner on.

Kent walked over to Trilomon and bent down, looking over the insect. Tyrannomon's blow had done more damage than it had first seemed; there were cracks all over his armour, as well as one running down his back-left claw. Trilomon looked into Kent's eyes.

"You came back."

"So did you."

"I was following you. I didn't want to leave you, so I followed you into the grassland. That's why I was so late getting back here."

He hung his head, looking almost ashamed. Kent put his fingers underneath Trilomon's chin (?) and lifted it back up to his level.

"I'm back now. I came back to protect you."

He glanced around. Eloise looked at him with a smile on her face. Kai had a knowing look in his eye. Grace stared in wonder, and Jack, having run over to Perimon as soon as it was safe, had his thumb in the air in a gesture of encouragement.

"All of you. Especially you, Trilomon."

He stood up, facing the leviathan before him, who was still tussling with Galvamon, knocking him down over and over. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his D-Nexus, which felt cool, and almost comforting.

"It doesn't matter whether you're data or not. You're my partner, Trilomon, and I won't abandon you again."

Galvamon stood up, charging up his attacks, but something was wrong. He felt the energy within him seeping away, and realised he was standing up to his chest in water. His power was discharging, and he couldn't fire his attacks.

All of a sudden, Tyrannomon's right claw came round and smashed into Galvamon's chest. Galvamon flew backwards, his form disintegrating. Before Aaron could reach him he had become Velocimon again, floating gently on the water. He smiled apologetically, then fell unconscious.

Tyrannomon turned around, breathing heavily. Before him stood Trilomon, stretched out to his full height and with a new glimmer of determination in his eyes. Behind him stood Kent, his D-Nexus in his right hand. He looked at the screen, and saw the Energy Transfer meter gradually rising. He smiled.

"Let's see what this thing can really do!"

He swung his arm wide, feeling the energy rush through him. His arm curved back round, pointing straight towards his partner, and with a subtle flick he pressed the top button on the right. The elemental seal of Earth appeared on his chest, energy storming along his arm and into the D-Nexus.

"Primal Control!"

Green energy flooded out of the D-Nexus, trailing along the ground towards Trilomon. The insect's body began to glow, just as Velocimon's had, and strange crystals sprouted from around his claws.

"Evolution Activate!"

Trilomon grew rapidly, his armour splitting and shifting into new shapes. His thorax grew in length and breadth, and two armoured arms sprouted, flexing as they developed. His claws expanded and his tail lengthened, sections coming out of the end, until it culminated in a wicked-looking club. A split formed down the middle of his mask, and horns grew out the side of his head. His whole body glowed brightly, then darkened to a deep brown, with sections of pale bone colour and the same emerald green eyes from before.

The new Digimon flung its new arms to the side, sprouting strange blades from underneath his wrists. They extended and twisted, and as the Digimon brought his arms together, a segmented shaft appeared between them, forming a staff. The Digimon twirled his new weapon and brought it down, forming a new crack in the earth as the heavy weapon landed.

"Seismon!"

Tyrannomon's expression darkened, and he fired again; a huge ball of fire that headed straight towards Kent and Seismon. The insect didn't even flinch, instead he spun his spear again and stabbed it, at an angle, into the cracked earth. In a mesmerising manoeuvre, he flicked a slab of earth into the air and sent it flying towards the oncoming fireball. The fireball collided with the shard and burst, sending heatwaves every which way.

Angered, Tyrannomon stomped towards the pair. Seismon cocked his head slightly.

"You'd better get back, Kent. I'll handle this."

Kent backed away from the oncoming dinosaur, but Seismon stood firm, holding his spear in a firm grip. In a second Tyrannomon was on him. He reared up onto his back claws and struck out at Tyrannomon, slashing him at leg level.

Tyrannomon slashed and clawed at Seismon, but the insect matched him blow for blow, using his spear and his heavy armour to dodge and deflect the attacks. All the while he said nothing, but remaind completely calm, completely focused on the battle. Tyrannomon was already tired from his bout with Galvamon, and the exhaustion soon began to get to him.

Tyrannomon paused, catching his breath. Seismon relaxed as well, shifting his grip on his weapon.

"Well now, I guess it's my turn."

With a sudden movement Seismon slid between Tyrannomon's legs, out of sight of the dinosaur. He jumped, slamming his legs into Tyrannomon's body with a mighty impact and sending him sprawling. Seismon landed perfectly, and held his spear completely horizontal. Shards of earth sprang up all around him, some sharp, some blunt, all deadly.

"Seismic Shards!"

With a few quick twists Seismon sent the projectiles flying into Tyrannomon's hide, making him roar with pain. The insect didn't let up; he began to attack in earnest, landing blow after blow of his own. Tyrannomon managed to stand and swiped down, just missing. His claw embedded in the dry earth and made more cracks, but Seismon merely kicked it out of the way. Kent watched as his partner slashed and flung more lethal shards at the dinosaur, never tiring or slowing down.

Tyrannomon swiped again, his strength all but gone, but Seismon blocked the blow with little effort. Suddenly, unexpectedly, he broke his spear and retracted it back into his body.

He raised his right arm, holding his left underneath to steady it. A green glow could be seen enveloping his hand, which almost seemed to reflect everything around it. Seismon lowered his head. He had a point-blank shot at Tyrannomon's abdomen.

"Earth Cannon!"

The missile fired; a green, crystalline bullet, and it collided with Tyrannomon's massive body. There was a boom, a crack and a shockwave that sent ripples across the lake and made the long grass rustle. The humans flinched at the power of the blow, but Tyrannomon took the full force. He was catapulted back into the lake by the full force of the bullet, as if he had been hit with a wrecking ball. He collapsed, barely holding himself up with his long, strong arms. Many of his bones were broken, his insides had been ruptured, and his data particles were slowly beginning to ebb away. He let out one more roar as the excruciating pain built, blocking out all other instincts he had.

Seismon watched him from the shore. "Poor creature. It didn't choose to become this. This is just what the Fire Kingdom has done."

Kent watched his partner raise his arm again, the glow returning.

"At least I can end it quickly."

Seismon fired once again, the bullet striking Tyrannomon's skull, shattering it instantly. Tyrannomon dispersed. His data particles rained down, floating on top of the lake like glitter. Seismon merely watched as they began to fade.

Velocimon, hobbling slightly, walked over. "Aren't you going to absorb it?"

Seismon didn't move. He simply stared out at the lake as the data began to fade.

"I must respect Tyrannomon's memory. That data was once alive. Maybe one day it will live again."

The last of the data faded as Seismon shrank, becoming Trilomon once more. Velocimon shrugged and limped back to Aaron. "It's your choice, mate."

* * *

The relentless heat from the sun had cooled down by the afternoon, and the group was getting ready to move again. The local Digimon had gradually returned to the watering hole, and yet again they completely ignored the presence of the humans.

The encounter with Tyrannomon had left its marks. The smell of burning was still present, both around here and at the place where Aaron and Kai had first found the beast. But no-one had been seriously harmed, and by the next day their wounds should have mostly healed.

Kent sat down next to Trilomon, who was looking a lot happier than before.

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I was being stupid and ignorant."

Trilomon shook his head, the sunlight glinting off his emerald-green eyes.

"It doesn't matter. You're here now, and we managed to work pretty well back there."

"To be honest, you did most of the work."

"Maybe." The insect stretched in the heat, his armour plates clicking together. "But I think you won your own battle there too."

Kent smiled, and stroked behind his partner's head.

"You're a lot smarter than you first seem, Trilomon."

Aaron was shielding his eyes from the sun as he stared ahead, "If we head off now we can probably reach the mountains by early evening. Maybe then we'll set up a base camp."

Jack had his head in his hands. "More walking? Do we have to walk everywhere?"

Aaron smirked. "You'll probably have to get used to it. Besides, it'll keep you fit!"

Jack groaned again.

"Just try not to slow us down to much, okay?"

"Hey!" Grace looked miffed. Aaron backed off, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

They set off once again. Jack kept on talking, despite Grace gently nudging him.

"But are you sure there aren't any cars or anything round here?"

Eloise looked at Aaron in a knowing fashion, but Velocimon stroked his chin, contemplating the question.

"I don't think we have cars. We have trains though."

Jack perked right up. "Trains? WHERE?"

"In the Metal Region, I think. On the other side of the world."

Jack seemed to deflate again. He looked at Perimon, who was walking along beside him.

"I wish you could evolve into a massive bird and carry us all to the Fire Kingdom."

"Ow!" Grace nudged him hard. He looked and saw she was shaking her head, a serious expression on her face. Jack looked down. Perimon hadn't answered, he simply carried on walking. Jack, feeling guilty, decided to shut up.

Kai was walking behind the main group once again, keeping quiet as usual. Colchimon gently unwrapped himself from his shoulders and slithered up to Perimon, keeping pace alongside him. Perimon looked at him, and Colchimon smiled. Perimon looked surprised.

Colchimon bent over and whispered, "You're not done yet. Keep at it, you'll get there."

Perimon looked nervous, but he smiled sheepishly back at Colchimon. Colchimon returned to Kai's shoulder, where his partner eyed him with interest.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Really?"

Colchimon found a comfortable position and lowered his head, trying to stay as much out of the sun as he could.

"Wherever you're in trouble, we'll be there for you. That's what we promised. That's what we'll do."

Colchimon gently dozed off, his wings folded over his head. Kai watched his partner for a few minutes, before focusing on the mountains ahead of him.

With an anxious feeling in his stomach, he trudged on after the rest of the group.


	5. Episode 5: The Lone Warrior

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 5: The Lone Warrior

If there was one thing that Grace had hated above anything else in school, it would have been P.E. It wasn't that she was unfit or particularly bad at sport; it was just that everybody else was so damn good at it. Every time she put her all in to score or set a new jump record, somebody else would steal all the attention. It had been a real pain, since she always had to deal with her teacher breathing down her neck, telling her to push herself harder, to get better.

Grace felt a bit like she was in P.E. right now.

Of course, P.E. was now countless miles away in another dimension and timeframe. Grace herself was now made up of data bits. The usual sports field and school gym had been replaced by the huge looming mountain that now stood above her, and her gym teacher had been replaced by an obnoxious red bird who hovered around her head height telling her to hurry up.

The group had been walking for the best part of the afternoon, and had reached the base of the mountain around an hour ago. They had debated whether to stay at ground level or to try and climb up, but they Kent and Aaron eventually agreed that they may as well climb up out of harm's way, since they'd already caused a commotion once in the savannah.

This was a decision that Grace hadn't been particularly fond of at the time. Now that she was clinging onto the side of a narrow ledge, about one-hundred feet off the ground and at the mercy of the wind and cold (the climate had changed yet again between the savannah and the mountain), she disliked it even more.

She gritted her teeth and shuffled up. Around her the others were scaling at their own rates, and occasionally someone would give her a lift up a particularly steep slope. It wasn't a really dangerous climb, but it was definitely tiring.

"Come on, they're leaving you behind up there!"

Grace sighed at Perimon's incredibly helpful comment. She had gotten stuck with him ever since her brother had skipped up the mountain like a little mountain goat, with Kai helping him on the way. She was worried about him hurting himself, but Perimon had assured her that he was fine and had decided to stay with her for now, since she was finding the climb the most difficult out of everyone.

Grace stepped up onto a more gentle slope, and looked up. They were about two-thirds of the way up, and thankfully she had passed the most difficult part. But there was still a long way to go yet, and she was completely exhausted.

"This isn't any time to sightsee."

Grace glared at the bird, "Look, you have wings don't you. Maybe you could help carry me up there."

Perimon shrank back a little. "Um, I'm not really strong enough to carry people."

"Well this isn't getting any easier by you hovering there and making helpful comments."

"You need a hand there?"

Grace looked up and saw Eloise above her, her long red hair blowing across her face. She was holding out a hand, which Grace gladly took. The two made their way up the slope, with Perimon flying around, bored from the slow progress.

"I take it you're finding this tough going."

Grace kept her head down, trying to ignore the wind that roared past her ears.

"I don't usually climb mountains back at home. This is kind of new to me."

Eloise chuckled. "Me too. Don't worry, we'll make it up alright."

Perimon smirked. "Maybe by midnight."

Eloise whirled round, "Oh, just quit it already! If you're that bored then go to the top or find Jack. Just leave us alone."

Perimon stuck out his bottom lip (beak?). "Just trying to lighten the mood a little."

Grace mumbled. "Just ignore him and maybe he'll go away."

The two girls did so, carrying on up the slope.

After about half an hour they had nearly reached the top. Perimon had quietened down a bit and they were all pressing on. Then the path became steep, and the wind and rain increased. Grace focused all her energy into going forward, her teeth gritted and her eyes squinted against the oncoming raindrops.

All of a sudden, her foot gave way from underneath her. Grace felt her hand, slippery as it was, slide out from Eloise's grip. She let out a scream as she fell over and began to slide. She couldn't see where she was going, and try as she might she couldn't get a grip on anything, only scrabbling around on the rocky ground. She braced herself, knowing it was only a matter of time before she reached the edge of the mountain.

Then, suddenly, she felt a hand around her wrist. She came to a halt, and, shaking, she pulled herself onto her knees. Looking up, she saw Aaron holding onto her wrist, his look of concern dissipating into relief. She smiled, and pulled herself to her feet.

"Thanks."

"Anytime. I'm just glad we didn't lose you."

* * *

Most of the group were huddled in a circle on the flattened summit of the mountain. Kai was stood some way away from the main group, shoulders hunched like a vulture. "I'm starting to think we should have stayed in the warm place."  
Kent glanced over at him, "You can talk, you actually brought a coat!"

Aaron, Eloise and Grace reached the others, where everyone let out a little cheer to see them all safely up. Perimon swooped over towards Jack, who ruffled his head feathers affectionately. Then he gingerly hovered over to where Grace was standing, looking very dishevelled, and feeling a little embarrassed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you don't wear the appropriate footwear."

Grace looked down at her small, flat-soled shoes, then gave Perimon another death glare. "Will you shut up already?"

Perimon landed in front of her and gave a little shrug. "Well it's not my fault that you're so ill-equipped."

That did it. Grace slipped off her sodden left shoe and brandished it menacingly. Her feet were so wet through that she didn't even notice the hard rock beneath her foot.

"I've told you time and time again. I've just climbed a mountain and all you've done is fly around making stupid comments. You're going down!"

Perimon was backing away sheepishly, "Did you know you're scary when you're angry?"

Grace swung repeatedly at Perimon with the shoe, chasing him around and knocking him into puddles, while the others looked on laughing.

"I'm twelve, I'm wearing a skirt and plimsolls and you couldn't even be bothered to give me a lift now and again, just stood there laughing at me. Well, who's laughing now? Huh?"

Jack was hopping up and down, "Hey, Aaron! Stop her! She can't beat up my Digimon like that, can she?"

Aaron was trying to stifle his laughter, while Velocimon simply grinned.

"He's the one who walks into these things, you know."

Thankfully, Perimon was spared from any further shoe-related assault by the arrival of Vulpimon and Trilomon, who, not being the best shape for mountain climbing, had gone the long way round to see if they could find shelter for the night. Vulpimon's fur was matted from where she had been squeezing through tunnels and caves.

Grace looked up and saw her partner. "Vulpimon, you're back!"

Colchimon grinned at the two latecomers. "You really missed a show just now."

Then he looked behind them and saw a new face. "Guys, I think we have company."

The whole group turned to look at the newcomer. It was some sort of dragon, with leathery, purple skin and sharp metallic claws. It had two wings growing out from its elbows, yet it was short and squat and didn't seem to be able to fly.

Trilomon nodded. "This is Monodramon. He told us he can give us shelter for the night. Don't worry, he's a friend."

Monodramon gingerly raised a clawed hand. "Nice to meet you."

* * *

There were a few Digimon already in the cave when Monodramon and the Digidestined walked in. They turned to look at the newcomers; they consisted of a Gabumon, a couple more Monodramon and a strange, glowing Digimon that was sat on a small boulder at the far end of the cave.

The Digimon stood up and eyed the new arrivals warily. It looked like a two-legged wolf, only about as tall as Jack, with belts and straps covering its body and black, leathery gloves covering its wicked-looking claws. Its eyes glinted, and its whole body seemed to let off a violet glow.

Cautiously, the humans approached it. Aaron held out a hand, "Thank you for taking us in. We really appreciate it."

The Digimon looked up and gave him an uncomfortable stare. With a firm voice, she said, "I haven't actually said you can stay yet."

Aaron shrank back. "Sorry..."

The Digimon gave a little chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't kick you out. I trust Vulpimon, so I'll trust you guys for now, okay?"

Vulpimon stepped forward, sighing at the purple Digimon. "Try not to confuse them, okay? It's hard enough figuring out which Digimon to trust these days."

The canine Digimon smiled, and glowed a little brighter. "My name is Strabimon. I'm looking after this little family here, just keeping them safe from the Fire Kingdom. You must be the humans that came to save the world or something."

The group felt a sense of pride from these words, but any elation was dashed when Strabimon carried on, "Good luck with that. Personally I doubt you'll be able to do what we haven't done in many years."

She sat back down on her boulder, before turning to face the group's deflated expressions.

"No offense by the way. Now, sit down and warm yourselves up a little."

Vulpimon looked back at the group and rolled her eyes, "Sorry about that. She means well but she can be a little, um, blunt sometimes."

The group settled down, spreading out as Strabimon glowed ever more intensely, replacing the cold mountain air with a fuzzy warm hue.

Grace sat down next to her partner, who's fur was dripping from the heavy rain from outside.

"I hear you had a bit of a fall then."

Grace lowered her head, embarrassed. Vulpimon went on.

"I'm just glad you're okay. Besides, it's been a while since Perimon got a good kicking."

She chuckled, before settling down next to her partner.

She noticed something was off, and, curious, she looked at Grace, huddled up against the wall, unspeaking. She didn't seem depressed or angry, but there was a strange look of determination on her face.

"Is there something wrong?"

Grace blinked and rapidly shook her head. "No, everything's fine thank you."

"So long as you're sure. You just spaced out a little there."

Grace was about to answer when all of a sudden a horrendous noise filled the cave. It was a metallic screech that rang in the ears of everything in the cave, and it ended as abruptly as it had begun.

Without hesitation Strabimon leapt up and ran to the mouth of the cave. Vulpimon followed her, with Grace, Velocimon and Aaron close behind.

"Ssh! Don't make a sound!"

Everybody shushed, and they carefully looked out from the cave mouth. The rain had slowed slightly, but the sun was going down and the visibility was poor. Nevertheless, the group still saw it. An opening, in a mountain slightly higher than the one they had climbed up. Another cave, and, hovering just outside the entrance, another Digimon. It was too dark to clearly make out the shape, but it seemed to be some sort of bird. It carefully landed on the mouth of the cave, before swinging its head round, checking its surroundings. The group ducked back inside when it looked over towards them.

A few seconds passed. Then, the lone Digimon waddled inside its own cave.

Everybody relaxed. Strabimon beckoned the group back inside. "Come, it's going to be alright now. That thing shouldn't give us any trouble."

Everybody walked back in, all except for Grace, who, curious, looked up at the cave entrance once again. She jumped, as she saw the hunched figure of the Digimon looking right at her. Its unblinking eyes gave off a piercing yellow glow, and it stood completely still, unmoved by the harsh weather.

Grace felt cold. The rain picked up again and she couldn't see up to the cave any more, but she knew that it was still there. She slowly walked back inside, trying to hide the fear as best as she could.

"So does anyone know what that thing is?"

The six humans, their partners and the other Digimon were all seated in a circle in the centre of the cave. Strabimon was seated on her makeshift throne, and looked across the sea of worried faces.

"None of us have gotten close to it," she said, her brow furrowed. "We don't know what it is, but it comes every night, making the same horrible screech every time."

The Gabumon joined in. "It only came here about a week ago. It suddenly appeared one night and hid itself away."

Eloise brought out her D-Nexus and held it. "We should be able to get that thing's data on this, right?"

Kent shook his head. "We can, but we'd have to get close to it first."

"Maybe it's actually friendly?" Jack gestured to Strabimon, "I mean you guys are alright, aren't you?"

This time it was Ladomon who spoke up. "It's possible, but unlikely I'm afraid. With the Fire Kingdom becoming more and more powerful, it's likely that thing up there has been infected."

"But you don't know that, do you?"

The first Monodramon stood up and raised his arm. The group saw an area of his wing that had been torn and shredded, hanging limply.

"I've probably gotten the closest to it out of everyone. I was walking back here when all of a sudden it flew right by me, tearing my wing."

Aaron scratched his chin. "Whether or not it's been infected, I think we can assume it's aggressive. So now the question is what are we supposed to do about it?"

Before anyone could suggest anything, Strabimon answered. "We leave it alone. Right now it's not pursuing us or actively attacking us. We can only hope it continues not to."

Grace, who had been listening intently, gave Strabimon a strange look. "How can you do that? It could attack you at any time."

"But it hasn't, has it?" Strabimon sighed deeply. "I can't stop you if you want to go and fight, but you're not leading it back here."

Grace looked at her fellow Digidestined, fists clenched. "That's fine, isn't it? Two of our partners can evolve, it should be easy shouldn't it?"

Nobody looked very sure. Aaron looked deep in thought, "I think Strabimon may have a point, Grace."

"But aren't we supposed to be saving the world or something?"

"We don't know if it's malevolent. It's best not to go picking fights for no clear reason."

Grace stood up. "I saw it! It was looking straight at me, it wanted to attack me, I could feel it. How can we just leave something like that?"

"Why do you want to beat it so badly, sis?"

Surprised, Grace looked at her brother. "Jack?"

Strabimon had her claws interlocked and was staring intently at Grace.

"He has a point. You seem very...intent on killing this creature."

Grace could feel everyone's eyes boring into her. She tried to think of something to say, but her mind fell blank. Face burning, she sat down. Vulpimon, worried, gave her a little nudge.

"It was just a thought. You're right, it's best to leave it alone." said Grace, eyeing the floor. The rest of the assembled party looked at her for a moment longer, before relaxing.

Eloise yawned, breaking the silence. "You know, perhaps we'd better get some sleep. It's no good staying up all night worrying; we've got to keep moving inland, remember."

Aaron shrugged. "I suppose so." He turned to Strabimon, "Thank you again for your kindness."

Strabimon gave a little laugh. "It's not the most comfortable place, but it'll do."

Everyone found a spot and laid down, trying to relax and get a few hours. After half an hour, everyone had drifted off. In the distance, the horrendous cry could be heard, echoing over the mountains.

* * *

Grace awoke with a start. She could feel the chill of the mountain air, and she had been tossing and turning. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the creature out of her mind; every time she drifted off to sleep, she saw its piercing eyes and heard its terrible cry.

She sat up, and leaned against a wall. She looked over at the cave mouth, and saw that the rain had mostly stopped. The mountains were eerily quiet.

She felt something warm rustle up against her. "Can't sleep?"

Grace gave a small smile, and rubbed the back of Vulpimon's head.

"There's no way I'm getting any sleep here."

Vulpimon lifted her head and looked deep into her partner's eyes. Grace could see the pupils flickering in the huge golden pools. Her partner was worried about her.

As if to prove it, Vulpimon nestled up against her partner yet again.

"Why are you so worried about that thing? It hasn't done anything yet."

Grace rested her head against the stone wall. "Maybe it's just me."

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since I got here, all I've done is walk along with the others. I haven't actually done anything helpful; they've been the ones helping me all the way."

Vulpimon, alarmed, shook her head rapidly, "Nobody thinks you're useless, Grace. You're as much a part of the group as everyone else."

Grace sighed. "I know, but I just want to help. I want to know I can protect someone else if I need to."

"Like your brother?"

Grace looked over in his direction; Jack was huddled up under Perimon's wing, sleeping contentedly.

"I worry about him, Vulpimon. He's not as invincible as he seems to think he is." She glimpsed the black neoprene sleeve covering her brother's right knee, and felt an unpleasant twinge in her gut.

She looked back to her partner. "Since he's here, I want to make sure I can protect him."

Vulpimon rested her head on her paws, looking thoughtful. "That's what we're all here for, you realise. Everybody in the team helps each other. You don't owe anyone anything."

"I know that. It's just...well..."

"What?"

Grace bit her lip. She didn't want to say anything, not here. But her partner was listening intently, and she could just leave her hanging.

"Jack...It wa-"

Her answer was cut short by a rumble from outside. Gingerly, Grace got to her feet, and walked to the cave entrance. Vulpimon was at her feet, "Please be careful!"

Grace poked her head outside. Stones were rolling down the mountainside, and she could feel a slight vibration. She looked up, and stifled a scream. A great shape flew over her, the Digimon from the cave, clutching a stone in its talons. Its wings were outstretched, like those of a jet plane, and its head tapered to a sharp point. It let out a cry and circled back round, heading towards the other cave mouth.

For a moment, all seemed okay. Then its eye flicked backwards, and saw her and Vulpimon standing watching at the cave mouth. Fast for something of its size, it turned round, heading straight towards them. Vulpimon yelled, "Get inside, now!"

The two ran back and heard the giant creature fly over them, letting off a hiss as it did so. Then they heard a crash and a rumble as the large stone hit the cave roof, making the walls vibrate and the dust fall from the ceiling.

Then, there was silence. Grace held her breath, waiting for one of the others to wake up, or for the creature to circle back overhead again. But nothing happened. The Gabumon lazily rolled over onto its back, but apart from that nobody stirred.

Grace took a step towards the opening again, with Vulpimon trying to call her back, "Come back, what if it's waiting for you?"

Grace carefully poked her head out a second time, and looked at the other cave entrance. She pulled back quickly as she saw the other shape disappear inside, before she stepped out and looked over.

Vulpimon came out and stood by her side, looking up at her partner. "What are you thinking?"

"None of us are safe here, not while that thing's still flying around freely. Someone has to stop it."

She looked back at her partner. "Are you feeling adventurous?"

"What do you mean?" Then it clicked. "Wait, we're not going alone, are we?"

"We're going now."

"We should at least wake up some of the others first."

"They think we should leave it alone, remember. They wouldn't come and help, they think I'm obsessed over it. Besides, there's no point putting everyone in danger."

"Grace, no offense, but you are being obsessed over it. You're scaring me."

"Vulpimon, I have to prove I'm not useless."

Vulpimon was about to comment on Grace's flawed logic, but she caught sight of her partner's determined expression. She wanted to prove her part, either for herself or for the group. She wasn't going to back down here.

The little fox sighed. "You know this is a bad idea, don't you?"

"Probably. But I have to try."

"Very well." Vulpimon carefully leapt down from their own cave entrance onto the sloping rocks, before turning back to her partner.

"Just watch your footing here. It's a long way down."

* * *

They actually made pretty quick progress, Grace hopping over the rocks with much more energy than before, although she still slipped and lost her footing a couple of times. Luckily, Vulpimon was on hand to steady her when she did so.

They took a short rest before the final push to the Digimon's lair, ducking beneath a ledge just in case it came out again. Grace was breathing heavily, the journey having been hard going, but Vulpimon saw her eyes, still determined as ever to win through.

Suddenly, Vulpimon caught sight of something glinting around Grace's neck, "Pardon me, but what's that?" she said, gesturing with her muzzle.

"What, this?" Grace reached inside her jumper and pulled it out, holding it out for Vulpimon to see. It was a small, silver pendant, in the centre of which was a royal-blue stone, probably a lapis lazuli.

"My mother got it for me when I was 10, told me to keep it with me and keep it safe." She looked up to the sky, memories of home and her past life coming back to her, "along with Jack."

"Grace, you're only one girl." Vulpimon snuggled up to her partner in a comforting gesture. "You don't need to take responsibility for everything, you know that?"

Grace said nothing, but put the pendant back inside her jumper, so only the silvery chain was left visible.

"What about yours, then?"

Vulpimon looked surprised, but Grace pointed to the strange circular stone around her own neck, secured by a golden band. Gingerly, Grace reached over and held the tiny disc. It was cold, but there was also a strangely warm aura emanating from it, and it glowed a faint blue.

"Were you given this, or have you always had it?"

Vulpimon sat down, looking a little embarrassed. "It belongs to my family. They gave it to me for good luck when I first went to receive the element of Ice."

"Your family?"

"Yeah, haven't I told you about them...?"

* * *

_I was actually born into royalty, my mother and father being the Matriarch and Patriarch of the Arctic Kingdom. I don't remember much about it, but it was a peaceful nation, where all Digimon who dwelled in the cold worked and played in the ice and snow. I had brothers and sisters, and we'd often go sliding down the great ice ridges atop the citadel._

_ Then the Fire Kingdom started to attack. We should have been done for, but luckily our family had mastered Ice for generations, and we were able to hold back the forces and keep the kingdom safe, an equal force to the terror of the Fire Kingdom. _

_ However we knew that it wouldn't last forever. Many of our empire's Digimon were still hunted down and killed. That was when we got the message, brought to me by Velocimon himself, that one of us needed to come to the ancient shrine at the centre of the Digital World. My mother wanted to go, being the most experienced, but i volunteered instead. I knew that her power would be needed to hold the Fire Forces at bay._

_ Before I left, she gave me this necklace, telling me that no matter what, she would still be here for me when I returned. I left the only home I had ever known, not knowing for sure that I would ever see it, or my family again._

* * *

Grace had been listening intently, and she felt a little guilty for asking, "I'm sorry."

Vulpimon turned to her partner.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. I have faith that my family are alive. And no matter what, I'm still here to keep the element of Ice safe."

Vulpimon smiled brightly, but her smile didn't match up with the worry and guilt in her eyes. Grace leant over and gave her partner a hug, "We'll both protect it now. Trust me, you'll see your family again."

Vulpimon smiled again, and this time it was genuine.

"Want to make the last push?"

"Let's go."

* * *

It was a steep climb, but eventually both girl and fox made it to the top of the cliff. Now they stood, shivering from the cold (and the rising fear), as the cave mouth lay open in front of them.

"Um, Grace, do you have any idea what we're supposed to do?"

Grace steeled herself, trying to stay calm. "I don't know, but somehow we need to stop whatever's in there from terrorising the mountain."

She took a breath, and took a step. Slowly, silently, she and her partner entered the cave.

The dim light from outside quickly faded into near-blackness, but as the two went on, they noticed that there was a different source of light. More strange crystals adorned the walls of the cave, similar to the ones growing on the trees from before. Now she could see them up close, Grace noticed that the colour and intensity of each little nightlight was fluctuating. Any other time she would have been fascinated, but the knowledge of a monster somewhere in the cave was enough to take her mind off amateur geology.

Water dripped from the ceiling; the source of the huge stalactites and stalagmites that were studded throughout the cave. The two crept round them, trying to stay in the shadows, but the huge pillars were more like a labyrinth than a shelter, making it almost impossible to work out which way they were supposed to be headed.

Suddenly, Vulpimon whispered as loud as she could, "Grace! Over here..."

Grace crept over and peered round the stalactite that her partner was hiding behind.

She stifled a gasp at the creature before her, and quickly drew back out of sight. After a couple of seconds, she gingerly took another look.

She recognised the shape of the creature before her from her brother's books on dinosaurs. Standing completely still at the far end of the cave was a pterodactyl. It was about six-feet tall at the shoulder, and its body was covered in smooth, blue armour. Its wings were made from large flat plates rather than leathery skin, and they folded up awkwardly, as if they were supposed to be outstretched. The creature's head was adorned with a crest-like helmet, and its tail tapered away into what looked like the tail of an aeroplane. She scanned the beast with her D-Nexus, making sure to keep the sound muted.

"_Pteramon. Armour Level, Data Attribute. Attacks: Missile Storm, Sharp Wing_"

Grace felt a twinge of relief when she noticed the Digimon's eyes were closed. It looked almost like a statue (albeit an odd one). She retreated again and looked at Vulpimon. The fox shrugged her shoulders, silently asking the same question she had before, "Now what?"

It was a good point. Grace knew the Pteramon was dangerous, but still she knew she couldn't bring herself to destroy the beast herself. Even if she could, she very much doubted it would be an easy task. She looked around her, trying to gather some inspiration, but there were only the rocky pillars, seeming to press in around her.

The pillars. Grace looked up. The ceiling was severely cracked, hence the water coming through, and it looked like it might cave in at any time. The only things holding it up were the fused stalactites and stalagmites, and even they didn't look particularly stable. Gingerly she touched one, then gave it a slight push. It gave a little, and a cloud of dust fell from the crack in the ceiling.

She looked at Vulpimon, and nodded. They would have to be careful, but if they could knock out one or two of the pillars, they could bring the whole ceiling crashing down and bury the Pteramon in a pile of rubble. Vulpimon nodded towards the entrance; better to get out of the way before they started knocking anything down.

They quietly backed out towards the cave entrance, Grace feeling uneasy. Sure, the Pteramon had attacked them, but she didn't feel comfortable just condemning it to its fate like this. She wasn't sure whether or not she was doing the right thing, and she stopped, trying to clear her head.

Vulpimon urged her on, "Come on, if we hurry we can get rid of him. We won't need to worry about him anymore."

Grace looked behind her, just to get one last look at the dinosaur Digimon, only to find he was no longer standing at the far end of the cave.

Pteramon had disappeared.

Grace stepped back, the fear rising within her again. "He's gone, Vulpimon..."

"He must still be in the cave-"

There was a horrifying crash and the cave shook; rocks, dust and water coming down from the ceiling and showering the girl and her partner. They watched as one of the rock pillars came crashing down the cave floor, shattering into fragments.

Vulpimon had a look of horror on her face as the reality sank in, "It's a trap, Grace."

The Pteramon had had similar ideas to the two would-be assassins. It hadn't been asleep at all; it had known all along that someone would come up to him. He was ready and waiting, the rocky death-trap all set for his enemies.

A grin played over his mouth, although it displayed no pleasure at all, only a burning hate.

"This time you'll die, scum."

Grace fell against the cave wall as the vibrations intensified, "Vulpimon, what do we do?"

Vulpimon had her hackles up, her fur bristling as she looked into the cave.

"We fight, Grace. It's all we can do."

As the great blue beast lumbered into view, Vulpimon dashed forward, ice crystals covering her body as she prepared to pounce. Pteramon turned to see a light blue blur rocketing towards him. With a growl Vulpimon slammed into the armoured beast, latching on with her teeth, which were glowing with a blue aura.

"Get off me!" Pteramon swung himself around and sent Vulpimon flying, but she landed gracefully and turned again.

Charging energy in her mouth, she cried, "Snow Blast!"

The sudden blizzard engulfed Pteramon, freezing his body from the torso up. He cursed as Vulpimon ran towards him, surrounding herself in her white fog. She ran around him, biting and scratching at his unprotected legs, while he struggled to free himself.

Grace held out her D-Nexus behind one of the pillars, knowing she could only watch as her partner battled on. She noticed the Energy Transfer meter was beginning to fill, but it was slow, and she didn't know how long Vulpimon would last.

Vulpimon went in to attack again, but with a shattering of crystals Pteramon broke free, stabbing down with his armoured beak. Surprised, Vulpimon leapt out of the way, only for the dinosaur's clawed foot to strike her in the side, sending her skittering away.

Wincing, Vulpimon stood up again, preparing herself for another attack. Pteramon stood upright, eyeing the small fox.

"When do you plan on staying down?"

Vulpimon snarled again, "As long as I can breathe, I'll keep fighting."

"Vulpimon..." Grace looked helplessly on at her partner. Vulpimon couldn't win against this thing, not as she was. She desperately shook and hit the D-Nexus, a feeling of dread rising in her, "Why won't you work?"

"Snow Blast!"

The icy blast impacted with Pteramon's armoured head, but with a flick he shattered the thin layer of ice and glared at the fox. He didn't even flinch.

Vulpimon's eyes widened. She could see the cave entrance in front of her, with an enraged Digimon between her and safety. She attacked again, but again Pteramon just brushed it away.

Vulpimon looked to her side, seeing Grace standing, shaking, a terrified expression on her face. Pteramon let out a rasping growl, and extended his wings to their full length, the smooth metal slicing through the fragile pillars beside him, making the cave even more unstable.

For the first time Grace and Vulpimon could see underneath Pteramon's wings; rows and rows of tiny missiles, some of which were beginning to spit fire and smoke behind them.

Vulpimon looked at her partner, "Get down!"

Grace dived for cover, but turned round to see Vulpimon running the other way, away from her.

"No, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Grace..."

Pteramon screamed. "Too late! Missile Storm!"

The missiles fired, just missing Vulpimon and impacting with the cave wall just behind her.

"VULPIMON!"

* * *

The explosion reverberated throughout the mountains, shaking the cave where the group was sleeping. Jack awoke with a start, "What was that?"

Strabimon was on her feet before anybody else, sniffing the air. Her look was severe, "Someone's missing."

The Digidestined were slowly getting to their feet, when Jack looked around the cave.

"Where' s Grace?"

Aaron and Eloise checked the far corners, while the Digimon looked round as well.

"Vulpimon's not here either..."

Sudden realisation kicked in to Aaron's head, "She didn't..."

"GUYS!"

Perimon's shout from the cave mouth brought everyone running. They looked up and saw the smoke rising from the upper cave. Jack cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "GRACE! VULPIMON!"

Aaron turned to the wolf-man Digimon. "You've got to help get us up there, now."

Strabimon bowed her head. "This is out of my hands now. I will not risk the safety of my group for something one of yours has done."

Eloise grabbed Strabimon by the shoulders, the shock of the situation making her panic.

"What about our friends? What about Vulpimon? Don't you care at all-"

She was silenced by a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Kai standing behind her, shaking his head. "We can't force her, Eloise. She does things differently to us."

Before Eloise could reply, he turned to his partner. "Colchimon, get up there as quickly as you can. Ladomon, Perimon, you too."

Without hesitating, the flying Digimon sped up towards the cave. Aaron turned to the others, "Hurry and follow me, now." The group followed Grace's path along the rocks, trying to get to the smoking cave.

Strabimon watched as the group took off after their friends. She stared up at Pteramon's lair, as another rumble could be heard from within.

"Vulpimon...what are you doing with these fools...?"

* * *

Grace's head was spinning as she got up, trying to find out where she was. There was dust falling from the ceiling and the whole place was shaking.

"Vulpimon, where..."

She cut off as she saw the other end of the cave. The wall was on the verge of collapse, great cracks appearing along it and fragments of rock falling away. Lying beneath a coating of rubble was a small, blue figure, not moving.

Her heart in her mouth, she ran towards her Digimon, only to stop herself in her tracks as the huge form of Pteramon towered over her. The pterosaur turned his head, and spoke.

"You can't escape. I will find you and kill you, like I did your companion."

Grace was puzzled by Pteramon's words. Surely he could see her, his right eye was pointing straight towards her. Then she got a close look, and saw the chipped armour around the eye socket, and the crusted red patch over the once keen, yellow eye. Pteramon was half blind.

She heard a rustle and saw her partner slowly lift her head, dust and chunks of rubble falling away from her. Her voice was weak, but she managed to whisper, "Grace..."

Grace had her fists clenched. This creature had attacked them and had almost killed Vulpimon. She had a split-second to move while she was in Pteramon's blind spot.

Without thinking, she ran forward and jumped, scrambling up the dinosaur's back towards his head. Immediately Pteramon started to screech and buck, causing her to hold on for dear life.

Vulpimon sat up, horrified. "What are you doing? Get off now, while you still can!"

Pteramon barged into a wall, but Grace held firm, her arms wrapped tightly around the great beast's neck. "I'm not letting him go, Vulpimon. Get out before the cave collapses."

"Are you insane? You'll be killed!"

"Please, I can't...I have to do this..."

Pteramon stopped and let out a single, wailing cry, before twisting his head to look at the little girl on his back.

"You will die for this, you wretched creature."

Pteramon suddenly broke into a run, heading straight for the cave entrance. Grace knew where this was going, and shut her eyes tight, still hanging on determinedly.

Colchimon and Perimon had reached the cave entrance and were looking in, when they saw Pteramon heading straight towards them. With synchronised yells they swerved out of the way as Pteramon took to the sky, Grace clinging on for dear life. Vulpimon, having freed herself, ran away from the falling rubble and joined the other two Rookies on the edge of the cliff.

As the cave collapsed behind her, she buried her head in her paws.

"I couldn't protect her..."

* * *

Aaron and the others were just making their way over the ridge, coughing and spluttering from all the dust. Aaron looked up and saw Pteramon, Grace just a tiny figure on his back.

"What the hell's she doing up there?"

Velocimon clenched his fist, "We've got to get her down. She was right, that thing is dangerous."

Aaron made to evolve his partner, but Kent stopped him. "Bad idea."

"What?"

"There's no way we can reach them from all the way down here unless we shoot at them, and then we may hit Grace."

"Well...then what do we do?"

Aaron turned and looked at the others, but no-one said anything.

Jack turned round, "Perimon, where are you? You need to fly up there and save her."

Perimon heard him, but didn't move. Jack ran over to where he was and saw Vulpimon, curled up in a ball, weeping.

"I was supposed to protect her. I thought I was strong enough, that I still had the power I had long ago. But I don't. I'm useless, I can't damage that beast."

Perimon nuzzled his comrade, "Vulpimon...you can't give up on her. Not like this. She may not be the strongest, but she has the strongest heart of anyone I've ever seen."

Somehow, high in the sky, Grace could hear Perimon's words. Struggling against the wind, she took out her D-Nexus, being careful not to drop it. Pteramon swooped and ducked again and again, trying to lose his cling-on, but she held tight. She couldn't give up now...

"No matter how many times I took a crack at her, she kept going, up that mountain. She's up there now, fighting in order to protect her friends. Your partner doesn't give up, and you can't give up on her now."

Jack looked in wonderment at his partner. Perimon looked back at Jack, and smiled. "No matter how many times you're knocked back down, it's never over, unless you give up."

Jack pumped the air. "Yes!"

Vulpimon, struggling slightly, pulled herself to her feet, and looked up towards her partner.

"I'm still here, Grace. I'll still fight with you..."

Her voice sounded from the D-Nexus. Pteramon cocked his head, "Your friend is still alive?"

Grace nodded, as she felt the energy rising within her. She and Vulpimon would get through this together.

Pteramon began a dive, heading straight towards the rocks below, crying out once again. "I will be rid of you, Fire scum!"

"Not today, you overgrown sparrow!"

With a cry of his own, a familiar red bird cannoned into Pteramon's side. Grace gave a yelp as she felt her grip slipping, but before she could fall she felt two serpentine tails wrap around her arms, bringing her down to ground level.

Perimon was wheeling around, but Pteramon, the more experienced flyer, easily dodged his attack and sent him spinning off out of control. Then he turned his attention back to Grace, standing next to Ladomon and Colchimon on the bare, rocky ground.

He snarled, "Now I can see you. You won't escape this time." He spread his wings wide and charged up the missiles.

Grace, saying nothing, held out her D-Nexus. The screen was glowing intensely, the energy having reached massive levels.

"You expect to defend yourself with that?"

Grace smiled, hearing footsteps behind her. She gripped her D-Nexus so hard that her knuckles turned white, and she felt the energy within; cold as ice and sharp as a blade.

"No. I expect to defeat you along with my partner."

Vulpimon leapt from behind Grace, running towards the flying dinosaur. Pteramon flung his wings wide, screaming, "Missile Storm!"

"Primal Control!"

Trails of blue energy cascaded from the D-Nexus and swirled around Vulpimon, still in mid-run. Vulpimon could feel her strength rising; a familiar power from the days before the war, and she picked up speed.

"Evolution Activate!"

Vulpimon's body grew, lengthening and becoming a much sleeker shape. Her red fur pelt morphed, becoming a thin strip along her back. Her tail became lengthier and bushier, and vicious looking spikes of ice grew from its end. Ice also encased her four paws, and mystical bracelets appeared around her legs and the middle of her body. A layer of ice grew over her snout, forming a strange mask, and more rings appeared in her ears.

She opened her eyes; no longer the warm, golden eyes of Vulpimon, but a cold, yellow stare that pierced through the night. She completed her evolution without even breaking step.

"Alopemon."

* * *

Everything happened in a manner of seconds. Alopemon leapt into the air, flipping herself round away from the oncoming missiles. Her tail glowed with a blue aura and she spoke, in a strangely calm voice.

"Tail Frost."

The missiles were sliced in two, the pieces falling harmlessly to the ground. Alopemon landed cleanly, turning to face Pteramon again.

Pteramon was furious, "Why won't you ever stop? Why do you torment me?"

Alopemon didn't move a muscle. "You brought it upon yourself. You must take the consequences."

"No..."

Pteramon dived, screaming in fury. "I will never rest until I have wiped out all the scum of the Fire Kingdom, even to my last breath!"

Alopemon dodged out of the way, before running up a pile of rubble. The ice around her feet began to glow, and she seemed to gain speed. With a flick of her legs she launched herself into the air, slashing at Pteramon before he could swerve out of the way. She landed flawlessly, before launching herself high once again.

Alopemon could feel the power coursing through her, the power from her heritage. She glanced down to the ground and saw her partner, still standing strong.

Everyone in the group was stunned by Alopemon's miraculous agility. "This is great!" Perimon turned to Grace, "Your partner's got some moves."

Grace didn't look; she was too busy thinking about Pteramon's last words.

"Fire Kingdom?"

* * *

Alopemon flew past Pteramon, who stabbed with his beak and slashed with his talons, desperately trying to hit her. The fox never slowed down; she simply jumped past again and again, landing and leaping off the piles of rubble with the lightest step, and landing terrible blows on Pteramon with her tail and claws. Pteramon cried out in pain and anger, and wheeled away.

"You can't take me on alone."

Alopemon prepared to jump again when she felt something land on her back. A familiar harsh voice whispered in her ear, "Sorry, old friend, hope you don't mind me hitching a ride."

Alopemon jumped once again, as Strabimon stood up on her back, claws glowing menacingly as she flew towards the giant flying Digimon.

"She's not alone, you vile creature."

With a roar Strabimon leapt at Pteramon, "Light Nail!"

Her glowing claw scraped Pteramon's face, sending him spiralling away. The wolf-man Digimon relaxed as Alopemon landed. "Sorry about that."

Alopemon was surprised. "I didn't think you were the kind, old friend."

"Well, your friends are good role models." Strabimon grinned a mischievous toothy grin, "When you're under pressure, it's better to stand together against it than to just hide away."

Suddenly there was an explosion beneath Alopemon's feet. Pteramon had turned round again and fired at Alopemon, just missing. The rubble on which she and Strabimon were stood gave way beneath them, and they slid down the slope. They rolled a few metres before Strabimon dug her claw deep into the solid rock mountainside, gripping Alopemon's flanks with her knees. The two managed to steady themselves, before looking back up at their quarry.

Pteramon was exhausted; the whole group could see that. He hung, swaying in mid-air, trying to focus himself. He had used up his missiles and barely knew where he was, but he saw the little girl in the green sweatshirt, the one who had invaded his home.

Grace called down to Alopemon and Strabimon, "Are you two alright?"

Alopemon tensed herself. "He won't give up, Grace. He's driven by his hate and he won't stop until he's killed us."

Grace looked at the dinosaur, "But...I think he thinks we're-"

Pteramon let out one last screech and flew towards the exposed group. He didn't care anymore who he hit, they could all go to hell as far as he was concerned. He just aimed himself at the girl and tried to fly straight and true.

"Grace, get down."

Alopemon ran at top speed as Pteramon drew ever closer. With a menacing growl, she skidded to a halt in front of her partner, between her and the incoming beast. The rings adorning her body began to glow, and she bowed her head.

Pteramon saw the fox, standing firm. "You can't stop me now! It's too late!"

A row of ice shards formed, seemingly out of mid-air, and floated just behind Alopemon.

"Icicle Barrage!"

The ice shards flew straight towards Pteramon, impacted with his body, wings and head. The shards froze in place and he cried out in pain. Knocked off course, he careered about, unable to steady himself. Aaron turned to the group, "Everyone, get back!"

The assembled party scattered as Pteramon flew ever closer. Finally, he crashed into the rocky ground, completely exhausted and nearly out of energy. Grace could see his body flickering, much like Mandrimon and the Tyrannomon before they disappeared.

Alopemon and Strabimon approached the fallen Digimon. His armour was dented and scratched, and he was rasping, completely unable to speak.

Strabimon knelt down, her right claw glowing.

"One more monster falls today. May this act one day lead to our freedom from tyranny."

She lifted her claw high above Pteramon's head, ready to deal the final blow.

"Light Nail!"

"Wait!"

Strabimon's arm stopped just before it impacted. She turned her head and saw Grace, holding onto her clawed arm, preventing her from striking.

"What are you doing, child?"

Grace shook her head, "You can't kill him..."

She shoved the wolf-man away and knelt down next to the fallen giant. Pteramon's good eye looked towards her as she sat there, a solemn expression on her face.

"I think I made a mistake..." Grace was mumbling, maybe to herself, maybe to Pteramon, or maybe to everyone assembled.

Alopemon took a step forward, "Grace, it's not safe –"

Grace looked at Pteramon's near-broken body. "We're not your enemy."

Nobody spoke. They simply watched, unsure what to do. What was going on?

Pteramon moved, the huge body shaking and writhing. Alopemon put her paw around her partner, pulling her back. "Grace, get away now!"

Strabimon gave a disgusted sigh and readied her claws again, but Grace yelled again, "Stop, listen to him!"

"This monster has threatened our lives and our homes. He nearly killed you and your partner tonight; he must face justice for what he has done."

"I said listen. Please..."

Strabimon stopped, and the group looked at the shaking creature before them. Pteramon made no attempt to stand up or attack anyone, instead he lay there, making horrific choking noises, quite unlike his usual cries.

Eloise was the first to realise.

"He's crying..."

Slowly, Strabimon relaxed. Alopemon let go of Grace, and she ran forward, kneeling next to Pteramon's head and placing her hand on his crest. She could see the streams of tears running down the grooves in his helmet.

The rest of the group closed round in a circle, completely lost for words. Only Pteramon spoke, in a voice thick with pain and remorse.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

* * *

Aaron was beginning to feel that sleeping was a rarity in the Digital World, since virtually no-one had had any since they'd arrived here. He leant against a steep ridge, yawning and rubbing his eyes as the sub slowly peaked over the top of the mountain range. The night's events had left their mark; everywhere he looked were piles of rubble and gravel, with a few stubby peaks pointing upwards from the wreckage.

Most of the group was scattered all around him, in various states of exhaustion. Perimon in particular was stretched out on the bare ground, making strange cawing noises in his sleep. Velocimon, sitting beside him, gave the bird an annoyed look, before gently knocking his head to the side. The cawing stopped, but Perimon didn't wake up.

Aaron yawned again, then casted a glance over to Strabimon's cave. He hesitated for a bit, but then he walked over to try and listen in to the conversation.

* * *

Out of the way in the cave, Pteramon stood, solemnly looking down at his feet. Grace and Vulpimon were sat down in front of him, listening to his story. When he spoke normally, his voice was actually quite smooth, almost melancholic.

"I thought we would be safe, my family, my friends and I. For a long time, we seemed to be, hidden away from the main army. But then everything changed, just like that. When the Red Beast appeared..."

Grace looked puzzled. "What red beast? One of these...Commanders?"

Pteramon nodded slightly, his good eye closing, pained from the memory.

"He was relentless. He left no survivors, nothing to suggest there had ever been life there at any point. I was able to fly away and escape, but even I was left scarred.

Pteramon blinked his good eye, the other having been too far damaged to move any more. Vulpimon looked up at the creature with wide eyes. She didn't want to imagine how he felt.

"I was frightened. I flew to the nearest mountain range and shut myself away. But everywhere I went, there would be someone there. Someone who would attack, maybe out of malice, maybe out of fear themselves. I began to see enemies everywhere, the anger boiling inside me. I suppose I became the beast that everybody feared in the first place."

Slowly, Pteramon turned towards the cave exit, being careful not to bump the walls.

Grace stood up. "Wait, it's my fault as much as yours..."

Pteramon turned his head. "I don't think so. You acted with noble intentions; you only wanted to protect your friends."

Grace lowered her head, fidgeting with the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

"You're wrong. I only did what I did out of fear, and so I could prove myself to everyone else. I suppose I just ended up looking like an idiot."

"I'm not so sure about that."

Grace looked and saw Aaron, heading towards the trio. Pteramon watched him as he walked up to Grace. She looked even more dejected than ever, but he spoke anyway.

"Okay, you put yourself in danger and you worried everyone. But, no-one got hurt in the end, did they?"

Vulpimon gave him a look, "Thanks, Aaron," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Aaron ignored her and knelt down, looking Grace in the eye. "You did well out there tonight. You followed your instincts, kept going no matter what, and in the end you came out on top. I'm actually really impressed."

"You are?"

"Of course. You're just trying to do too much. Trust me, none of us think you're useless."

Grace looked unsure. Aaron stood up again, and ruffled Grace's hair.

"It's okay. You don't have anything to prove."

Grace's expression turned to one of annoyance. "Please stop that."

"Sorry." Aaron withdrew his hand quickly.

Grace's eyes were still on pointed to the ground. "I'm the one who should be sorry..."

"Oh for crying out loud, cheer up! Everything's okay now, you don't need to keep being sorry. Besides, you rode a pterodactyl last night, how is that not awesome?"

Pteramon smirked. Grace looked serious for a few seconds, then gave a small smile.

"Come on, let's get you back to the others."

* * *

Strabimon had her arms folded, looking extremely ticked off, "Look, his intentions may not have been evil, but he still wrecked the place. I just don't feel comfortable having that thing around here."

Vulpimon glanced back to where Pteramon was standing, basking his head in the sun. She turned back to her old friend, "Tact, Strabimon. Please try to work on it."

"Say what you want, but if he doesn't go, I'll go instead. Everyone else can do what they want."

Her little posse gave each other worried looks. The Gabumon mumbled to one of the Monodramon, "She doesn't really mean that, does she?"

"Don't worry, it won't be necessary. She won't have to leave."

The others looked up as Pteramon entered the group, watching where he stepped all the time.

"Strabimon's right, I can't stay here. If nothing else, it will put you in danger if the Fire Kingdom appears and I start to fight. You and I must fight back in our own ways."

Strabimon closed her eyes. "Fair enough."

Pteramon turned to the assembled humans and their partners. "You are fighting against the Fire Kingdom yourselves, are you not?"

The group nodded. Pteramon bowed his head as a sign of respect.

"I wish you luck. I can't ask for your forgiveness after what I've done, but maybe I can help you from the skies. I will watch over you and assist you in times when you need it. It's the very least I can do."

Aaron stepped forward. "You don't owe us anything, Pteramon. That said, it would be an honour to have you as our ally. We could use all the strength we can get."

Pteramon's good eye flashed, and he nodded. "Then I will be there when you need me." He spread his wings and turned to Grace.

"Stay strong, Grace."

She nodded, a smile upon her lips. Jack grinned again beside her, and Vulpimon gave a little wag of her tail. Pteramon straightened himself up and held his wings rigid, letting out jets from the back. He ran forward and dived off of the cliff, flapping a couple of times to gain height. For a few moments he circled, slowly spiralling higher and higher. Then, with a short cry, he flew away.

The group watched him disappear over the horizon. As the sun rose steadily higher, turning the sky a bright orange colour, they felt encouraged. Perhaps there was hope for this world yet.


	6. Episode 6: Scavengers

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 6: Scavengers

* * *

Kai was the first to notice something was off. He sniffed the air as the group made their way over the pass, his brow furrowing. Colchimon looked inquiringly at his partner, and the two of them stopped, "Guys, wait a minute."

The group had been making their way over the pass, in the hope that they could re-enter a forest area, having decided the mountains weren't exactly the best way to travel. Strabimon had opted to lead them over the nearest pass, but she stopped and turned along with the others at Kai's remark, an irritated look on her face.

"Look, you're nearly home free. Whatever it is, can't it wait a minute?"

The tall youth shook his head, his spiky brown hair swaying to and fro. "It might be important. I think I smell something."

Vulpimon and many of the other Digimon sniffed the air as well, and immediately detected something coming from over the ridge.

Velocimon tensed up. "Something's burning..."

Swiftly, Strabimon scampered up the last few feet to the ridge, and, carefully, peaked her head over. There was a growl and she recoiled back, with a whispered cry of "Bloody hell..."

"What is it?"

Strabimon turned back. "Trouble. It might be best if you don't go this way."

A few of the other Digimon joined her and peaked over themselves. Perimon ducked down just as Strabimon had done, "Ooohh..."

There was a relatively gentle slope down to the forest, which now had a huge black streak snaking through it. At the nearest end of the trail were a small force of Digimon. They were mostly half-monster, half tank creatures, but there were a couple of larger tanks with more draconic creatures hiding inside them. All were heavily armed, brutal looking, and had the manic glowing aura emanating from their eyes.

Jack went to look as well, but Grace pulled him back. He harrumphed at her, before asking, "What is it?"

Perimon looked at his partner. "A small force of Tankmon and Tankdramon. They seem to be searching for something."

Strabimon folded her arms. "Doesn't surprise me. I expect Cephalomon sent them to search for you. From the sound of it he wasn't too happy when you beat him." She smirked.

Vulpimon peaked over again. "Guys, they're coming."

The mountain rumbled as the tank Digimon, curious as to the creatures on top of the cliff, began to scale the slope. They weren't particularly quick, nor was the climb easy for their limited mobility, but their movements were definite and persistent.

Aaron glanced at Velocimon, feeling a little panicked. "Can we take them on?"

"Only three of us can evolve. There are at least 20 of those things; I'd say we're a little outmatched."

Jack took another step forward, wriggling out of Grace's grip. "What if we can get the rest of you to evolve?"

Velocimon shook his head at the youngest member of the group. "It's not worth the risk. We'll have to find another way."

"Well then, how do we get rid of them?"

Velocimon looked stumped, and the pressure from the oncoming tanks didn't help matters, but Kai stepped forward, smirking slightly. "If we can't beat them, we can at least knock them off the mountain."

"A rockslide?"

Kent looked at his partner, "It's our best shot for the moment. You feeling strong?"

Trilomon nodded optimistically, and started tapping around the base of the ridge, looking for a weak spot.

Kai turned to Eloise, "Get Ladomon to help too. Colchimon as well. Everyone else, get back."

Nobody needed much encouragement. Trilomon tapped the spot he'd picked out as the dragons began to charge their tail blades. Trilomon's own front claws extended. If he had had a regular mouth he would have grinned menacingly, "Sorry fellas, no-one's home!"

"Shell Sword!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"Sun Spear!"

The multiple blades hit the weak point and a fracture appeared. Slowly at first, the mountain side began to fall away, causing Trilomon to scrabble furiously to avoid being dragged down with it. Everyone got to safety as the mountain face tumbled into the charred forest, taking the oncoming force with it.

When the rumblings stopped, Strabimon took another quick peak below her. The sloping mountain side had been reduced to a pile of rubble, under which were trapped many of the tank Digimon, tracks spinning uselessly in the air. They were still very much alive, but they were now severely dented and, frankly, looked rather silly.

Eloise coughed as she brushed away the dust cloud that the rock-slide had brought on.

"I'm guessing we're not going that way any more."

Aaron looked worriedly at the purple wolf-man. "Please tell me that worked."

"They won't be going anywhere for a while, and there's no way they're getting up that slope now. But you'll have to find another way through the pass if you want to avoid them."

Grace slumped. "Great, more mountain climbing."

Strabimon pointed at an embankment behind her. "It's a bit of a trek, but that should take you to a different area of the forest. Just pray there are no more armies waiting for you."

"Us? Are you not coming?"

Strabimon lowered her head. "I have my own group to watch out for here. I'm afraid we have to go our separate ways now." She turned to the group and gave a quick bow. "For what it's worth, I wish you luck on your mission. Bring peace to the Digital World. I'm behind you all the way."

The group thanked her and watched as she scampered away back to her home cave, just stopping for a moment to call back, "Hey Vulpimon, keep an eye on your partner for me, won't you? You can never tell with the reserved ones when they're gonna do something crazy."

She grinned, before vanishing over the ridge, leaving a red-faced Grace in the middle of her peers. Kent chuckled, before saying, "We should probably get going. No good standing here with a bunch of angry tanks at the bottom of the hill."

* * *

The going proved to be much harder than everybody expected, with the path winding back and forth at varying levels of altitude. On the plus side, the weather had improved since yesterday, but the altitude meant the temperature was particularly low, causing some of the group to shiver at the cold. Jack was rubbing his bare arms, trying to warm himself up.

Aaron wasn't faring much better, "You know, we could really do with a Fire Digimon around right about now."

Eloise caught up with him, "How long do you think it'll take?"

"Well, we need to find a safe-ish place to get down to the forest, but I have no idea when we're gonna find one."

Jack pouted. "Why can't we just slide down the mountain? That's gotta be pretty easy."

"It doesn't work quite like that, I'm afraid."

"I wanna try anyway. I need to get warmed up."

He began to run forwards, but Grace grabbed his T-shirt yet again, "You're not going anywhere, mister."

"Stop it, Grace!"

Jack wriggled out of his sister's grip. The commotion caused Eloise and Aaron to look round, just in time to see Jack, rather heavily, barge into his sister.

"Ow! Stop it!"

"Well, you never let me do anything fun."

"Well, you shouldn't be running off on your own. It's dangerous."

Jack spluttered. "You did that just last night!"

Grace shuffled a little, feeling a little embarrassed. "That was different. Besides, I'm older than you."

"That doesn't mean anything! You're only three years older than me!"

Perimon glided down and hovered just above his partner's head, "Watch it, partner, you'll boil over at this rate." He chuckled. "Mind you, you'd probably appreciate the warmth!"

Jack humphed, hunching his shoulders like a little toy soldier.

"She's no better than I am," he mumbled, just loud enough for his sister to hear.

Eloise was eager to break up this little sibling rivalry, but before she could say anything there was a sudden, "Oh, for crying out loud!" from Aaron. The group stopped at a split in the path, both snaking around one side of the particularly large mountain in front of them. The range had closed in as they had been walking, and now they were all surrounded by tall peaks and sharp drops.

Perimon flew up higher to get a better look, while Kent just leant against the mountainside. "Why can't it just be simple and straightforward? For once?"

The path to the right was significantly more impressive than the left one, with the ridges and chasms forming a huge, snaking canyon; narrow but long and perilous. Naturally, Jack stepped forward to have a look. "I've never seen anything this big before!"

Grace grabbed him by the arm, "Watch it, you'll fall."

Jack wriggled again, but Grace held on firmly. "I just wanna go see!"

"No, Jack. Just stay with us."

"Let me GO!"

Without warning, Jack spun round and smacked his sister across the face.

She let out a gasp and loosened her grip, causing him to back away, yelling all the time, "I hate it when you grab me. You always grab me and pull me back and you never let me do anything I want to or see anything I want to. I don't want you looking after me all the time. I can look after myself."

Grace felt her cheek stinging from where Jack had hit her. "It's dangerous, Jack. I don't want – "

"IT'S ALL DANGEROUS!" Jack had his fists clenched and was shouting at the top of his lungs now. "It's been dangerous since we got here! You don't care about that, you just want to stop me from doing anything!"

Kai watched the argument, unsure what to say. He looked at his partner, who was equally stunned at the little boy's anger.

Vulpimon stood in front of her teary-eyed partner out of instinct as Jack carried on. Grace, swallowing, spoke up when she heard an opening, "Stop it, Jack."

Her brother stopped for a second, so she carried on, feeling the anger rising. "This isn't a game. You're not going to get another chance if you mess up. That's why we need to stay together, and why you can't just do whatever you want. You'll get us all killed if you don't think."

Jack stopped arguing, the reality of Grace's words sinking in. His own eyes were glistening, just like his sister's.

"Just leave me alone. I hate you."

Grace finally burst into tears. "Fine! Go to hell, I don't care."

She ran off, collapsing next to the mountainside, Eloise running over to comfort her.

Colchimon turned to his partner, "Um, what just happened?"

Kai sighed. "Just a bit of brother-sister warfare. Apparently they tend to argue a fair amount."

He watched Jack kicking bits of rubble next to the chasm, and began walking over, "Look, I know you're upset, but you might want to come away from the edge a bit. We don't want to lose you."

Jack snorted. "Why not? You're all the same, no-one thinks I can do anything. Everyone tells me I'm wrong or I'm stupid or something."

Perimon glided down again, "Dude, no-one thinks that."

"Yeah," said Kai, "you're one of us. You're as much a part of the team as –"

He broke off, staring around. Concerned, Colchimon enquired, "What's up?"

"I don't know...something feels off."

Kent sighed and leant his head back, "I really can't be asked to deal with this. Little kid arguments are not my thing."

Trilomon cocked his head in that familiar way, "Didn't you have any brothers or sisters?"

"A younger brother. We didn't argue though. In fact we hardly ever spoke."

"Right." Trilomon aimlessly kicked the wall, "Doesn't anyone get on well with anybody any more?"

There was a clatter as a chip fell from the mountainside, close to where Trilomon had kicked it. Trilomon looked puzzled, "What the...?"

A crack snaked downwards at lightning speed, spreading out across the splitting path. There was a rumble and the ground began to shake. Trilomon recoiled, curling himself into a ball for protection, "Yeeargh!"

Jack stumbled, only just staying standing. Kai, serious now, ran forward, "Jack, get close to us, now!"

Jack had barely taken a step when a boulder hurtled down from above, crashing into the path in front of him. He screamed and crouched down, trying to avoid the rocky projectiles that came crumbling down from the top of the peak.

After a few seconds, which had felt more like several hours, the rumbling stopped. Everybody present slowly got to their feet and looked at the huge pile of rubble that stood before them, blocking off the right hand path. The air was dusty and the ground still felt uneven, and nobody really knew what had just happened.

Trilomon uncurled himself. Aaron walked up to the wall of rubble and gingerly touched it. Grace looked around, "Where's Jack...?"

Kai joined Aaron, a feeling of dread wrenching his gut. "It can't be..."

"JACK?"

Trilomon shrank back against the now majorly cracked wall, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean...no, I didn't know, I mean, I'm so so sorry!"

"I'm okay. Don't worry." Jack's voice sounded from the other side of the wall of debris. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Um, how do I get back over?"

The feeling of dread returned as it became clear that nobody was going to scale this particular wall. Aaron banged his head against it and punched it in frustration, "Damnit! Why does something like this always have to happen?"

"Watch it, will you? You made a load of rocks fall on my head."

Aaron looked up darkly. "Sorry..."

Grace stepped forward, her eyes damp from crying. "Don't blame him. This was my fault." She looked down at her feet. "Again."

Eloise put her arm round the younger girl, "It wasn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself for things."

"It doesn't matter who's fault it is." Aaron stood up straight and faced the group. "The question is how do we get Jack back over."

Eloise looked at the three flying Digimon. "Can you lift him over? You managed to get Grace down safely."

Her partner shook her head. "We only stopped her falling. We I don't think we could lift him over something that tall. If we dropped him..." She didn't need to finish.

Kent scratched his head. "Maybe we could evolve our partners and knock the wall down."

There was an indignant reply from Jack at Kent's suggestion. "You can't do that! You'll knock me off the cliff!"

"Well, I'm sure if we're careful..."

Kent's musings were silenced by Grace asking her brother, "Um, how close are you to the edge of the canyon at the moment?"

Jack looked back. "Well, if I took two steps back I wouldn't be standing on anything anymore."

Grace took in a breath. Kent, grinning sheepishly, ruffled his hair. "Okay, maybe not worth the risk."

"I've got it! Why don't we call Pteramon?"

This led to mixed reactions from the group, since not everybody was sure about trusting the big blue dinosaur that had tried to kill them last night. Jack looked up at the sky, "I don't think he'll fit. The walls are too narrow. Anyway, how would we call him?"

"Well, what then?"

Aaron was getting ever more irritated that nothing seemed to be going right, Velocimon deep in thought next to him. Suddenly Perimon piped up, "There is a way we can meet back up with Jack."

The others looked hopefully. "The paths actually meet up again, a fair way from here. Jack's path is shorter, but it's a bit more dangerous. However, I don't think we have a lot of choice."

Kai knocked on the wall, "Did you hear that, Jack? Just follow the path and we can meet up with you later."

Grace looked at Perimon, "How much more dangerous is it?"

To her surprise, it was Vulpimon who answered. "It's probably just a bit of a trickier walk and a longer drop. But, I don't know..." She looked worried as she tried to remember something, "I heard about a similar canyon from Strabimon, a long time ago. She said she lost a friend down there, but her friend didn't fall. She was a Biyomon, she would have just flown away."

Perimon gulped. "So, how did she die...?"

"Strabimon didn't know. But she said something about...things...living under the mountain..."

Now everyone was feeling uneasy, even Jack. Aaron sighed, "If we had another choice, we'd take it. But I think this is the only way we'll get back together."

Perimon flew up, "Jack's my partner, I'll go with him." He nodded at the others, before flying over the wall.

Grace gave Eloise a worried look. "Can't Ladomon and Colchimon go with him as well?"

Jack's voice sounded again, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, I'll see you again."

"Just be careful, okay."

"I will."

The group heard the sound of footsteps as Jack walked away along the path. They stopped briefly, and Grace heard her brother's faint voice.

"You too..."

Aaron beckoned, and the rest of the group headed down their own path.

* * *

"Hey, slow down, will you?"

Jack ignored his partner as he kept pushing ahead, edging his way over the narrow path with perhaps too much haste. His partner was hovering beside him, but Jack's pace was beginning to tire him. He fell back a little and watched the nine-year old boy scamper about over the rocks. He let out a huff. Sometimes he really didn't understand his partner.

Jack looked back, "Hurry up, Perimon!"

"It's not a race to the finish, you know!"

"Yeah, but I wanna get – woah!"

Jack stopped abruptly as one of his feet gave way from beneath him. He stumbled for a brief second before steadying himself. He stood still, just catching his breath as his partner landed beside him.

"We need to make sure you actually get to the finish."

Jack leaned back against the impossibly steep mountain side, breathing heavily. "I'll be fine, Perimon. I can get there."

Perimon was worried, seeing his young partner looking as tired as he did. "Just be careful, okay mate."

"I said I'll be fine! You're sounding like my sister."

Before Perimon could answer, Jack was moving again, skipping over the rock. Perimon stumbled a bit before taking off again, catching up with his partner, "Look, I just want to make sure you get there."

"It sounds like you don't think I can do it."

Perimon exhaled. "I know you can do it. It's just, well, you're pushing yourself too hard. Calm down, okay?"

Jack said nothing, just kept pushing ahead. Perimon stayed next to him, ready to step in if he needed to.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the group was heading down their own route. Ladomon had initially tried to fly over the mountain to check on Jack, but the thin air at this altitude made the flight too much for her to handle. This didn't exactly ease Grace's nerves, and Eloise, noticing how much Grace was looking up at the mountain, decided to walk along with her.

"I'm sure he'll be okay, you know. He's a brave little kid."

Grace looked down at her feet. "He's still only a kid."

Aaron looked back at her, "So are you, you know."

Eloise shot daggers at him, but Grace said, "You're right. I blew up in his face, I was stupid. It's my fault. I just don't want my brother to get hurt."

Aaron sighed. "That's not my point." He stopped and knelt down, looking Grace in the eye. Velocimon, not noticing, carried on walking, only stopping when he realised everyone was gathered around Grace. Rolling his eyes, he walked back to rejoin the group.

"Look, I know you're worried about him. If my sister had come here and she got stuck somewhere, I'd feel the same way. But we're all here now, and we all need to be strong, and trust everyone else to be strong, even if we're not around. Like you were, last night."

He paused, and Grace shuffled around a little. "It's not that I don't trust him. I'm just worried if he needs me and I can't be there."

"You're doing it again. You don't need to take sole responsibility for everything, you know." Aaron stood up again. "We're all here for each other."

Eloise nodded, "It'll be fine. You'll see, it'll all work out."

"I suppose..."

The group headed on again, with Kai trailing behind, yet again. Colchimon, hitching a ride again, scratched himself under his beak with the tip of his wing. "Don't you think it's quieter round here without Perimon?"

Kai shrugged. "It's not the noise that bothers me, it's the constant swooping over everyone's heads. It's like being harassed by an oversized fly." He grinned. "No offense to him, he's still pretty awesome"

"Well...yeah, but he doesn't have to remind us of it every fourteen seconds."

Kai shrugged again. "I guess he's compensating for the fact he hasn't evolved yet."

Colchimon gave his partner a look. Kai raised his hands, "What did I say?"

"It's just a little bit of a touchy subject, that's all."

Kai gave up and put his hands in his pockets. "Again, no offense to the guy. Besides, I'm sure when he does evolve, it'll be spectacular."

"We can only hope, partner..."

Grace was still moping a little, worrying her partner yet again. Eloise put her arm around the younger girl's shoulder, "Cheer up!"

"I'm trying." Grace gave a half-hearted smile.

Eloise sighed, "Look, he's probably fine. I'm sure he hasn't fallen off anything yet."

"Well, what about those things that Vulpimon was talking about?"

Vulpimon shook her head, "I only heard that from Strabimon a long time ago. I don't even remember half the story."

Ladomon swooped down and gracefully draped herself over Eloise's shoulders. "Besides, the mountain range is huge. If there is anything out there then they're probably scattered throughout the whole range."

Vulpimon nodded, trying to reassure Grace. Eloise gave her partner a quizzical look. "I hope you're not planning on staying up there. I don't care what Colchimon does, I'm not your personal transport."

Ladomon pouted, "Aw, please. Just for a little while?"

From behind them, Colchimon shouted forward, "Come on Eloise! You look good with the Dragon Scarf outfit."

Eloise was considering, but Ladomon unwrapped herself of her own accord and stared back at her old friend, "Are you saying I look like a scarf?"

"A Dragon Scarf, Ladomon. They're like regular scarves only about thirty-five percent cooler."

"There's something I meant to tell you about Jack."

Eloise stopped watching the two dragons bicker and looked at Grace. "Me?"

"Well, someone. Probably everyone. It's..." she trailed off, as if she was embarrassed. "It's kind of important. It's the main reason I worry about him so much..."

* * *

Jack had finally stopped after pressing on for a good while, and he and Perimon were leant back against the mountainside, trying to catch their breath. Jack in particular was breathing heavily, which his partner noted.

"Tired?"

"Definitely not."

"You're a determined little sprite, I'll tell you that."

Jack let out a giggle, the first time he'd laughed since they'd set off. Perimon smiled; it was nice having the old Jack back to bounce off of. All the same, he did wonder about Jack. He had seemed to take his sister's words very harshly, almost as if they had been an insult. Perimon wondered if perhaps there was more to this than he knew.

He decided to brave it. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"About your sister..." He paused, reluctant to go any further, but Jack was still listening, wanting him to go on.

"Do you...get on well with her? I mean generally?"

Jack shrugged. "I guess so. It's just she's always so..."

"Overprotective?"

"Yeah. She doesn't let me do anything I want to and she always went around after me, making sure I was 'okay'."

He kicked a small piece of stone in front of him. "I just want to do my own thing. I'm as strong as everyone else, I can look after myself."

"You know your sister loves you, right? She only does it because she worries about you."

Jack reacted like many boys his age did. "Perimon, don't be soppy!" Perimon let out a nervous chuckle, but carried on. "You know what I mean."

Jack sighed. "I know. I just want to show her I'm okay. I want her to stop worrying. Even though..."

"What?"

The boy shrank back a little. "Nothing..."

Perimon was about to enquire more when he felt his feathers bristle. He turned and looked down into the canyon, letting out a throaty growl. Jack sat up, "What's up?"

"I don't know." Perimon scoured the canyon, not seeing anything. "I can sense Digimon though. Lots of them, all moving around. Something doesn't feel right."

Jack gulped. "Didn't Vulpimon say something about a Digimon disappearing round here? Weird creatures or something?" He got to his feet and walked over to where his partner was standing. "Could these be them?"

The two listened out for the slightest hint of other Digimon. Slowly but surely, they could hear a rustling, like a flock of bats moving about inside a cave, only this sound was getting louder and louder. There were also horrific scraping sounds like nails down a blackboard.

Perimon looked at his partner worriedly, "I don't think we should stay and find out."

Jack nodded and headed off again along the path, making his way quickly over the rocky path. "Maybe we can get by without annoying them. We can't be too far from –"

Jack felt it coming even before it happened.

There was a dull crack and a familiar jolt of intense pain. Jack cried out and collapsed, falling over onto his front. Perimon was with him in an instant, "What's wrong, what happened?"

Jack said nothing, trying to fight back tears but failing. He slowly rolled over into a sitting position and pulled the left leg of his shorts clear, showing the grey neoprene sleeve. The hole at the front showed his left kneecap and the true extent of the problem. The kneecap was twisted in an odd way and was rapidly swelling. Perimon looked at his partner, not know what to do.

Jack shifted again and his knee shifted with him, making another dull pop. Jack cried out again, the pain biting away at him.

Perimon shuffled closer, looking deadly serious. "What happened, Jack?"

Jack wiped his eyes with his arm. "It's nothing. It's okay now."

"That was not 'okay'." Perimon looked closer; the bone seemed to have gone back to normal, but the swelling was worse than before, the skin beginning to turn purple. Jack tried to move, but the pain was still too much. He bit his lip and sagged back down.

"It looked like it had dislocated or something."

Jack shook his head. "The doctors said it was something else. I can't remember what."

"Doctors?" Perimon turned to face his partner. "Has this happened before?"

"Yes. A lot." Jack shrank back lower. "There's something wrong with my knee. It'll come out for no reason and it hurts every time."

Perimon began to get flustered. "Well, why didn't you tell me?"

Jack flinched at Perimon's outburst. "I didn't want to complain. I didn't want anyone to think I was weak."

"How long were you planning to hide it? This place is dangerous, you can't just ignore something like that! You could put everyone in danger if we were being attacked."

"You're sounding like Grace."

"Yeah, well maybe she has a point! You don't seem to be taking this seriously, you're just being immature. There's a war on. We need to protect each other, but we can't do that if we don't know about stuff like this."

Jack pulled his legs up and curled into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. He tried to speak, his sobs choking out the words. "Please Perimon, stop it! I know! I know I can't be as strong as everyone else. I can't even be normal. I'm just a stupid little kid. But I just want to help." Jack spluttered and fell back into sobs.

* * *

_ "What were you thinking?"_

_ "I know I'm not strong. I just want to help."_

_ "Do you know how dangerous it is? Do you know how much danger you're putting us in? Putting yourself in?"_

_ "I'm sorry. I didn't mean – "_

_ "Never do that again. I can't lose you. You're all I have left..."_

* * *

Perimon faltered. He realised he'd gotten angry again, and looked, shocked, at the whimpering ball in front of him.

"Oh crap, I am so sorry. I mean...I didn't mean to say those things. I..."

Jack continued crying. Perimon let out an exasperated yell and banged his head against the mountainside, again and again, "Why...am...I...so...stupid?"

He stood there, resting against the rock, breathing heavily. Behind him, Jack was quietening down, slowly getting control. He lifted his head and sniffed. Perimon was about to say something when something stopped him.

He listened, before worriedly looking at his partner, "Can you move?"

Jack gently shook his head. "I don't think so."

The two listened, and realised they were in trouble. The rustling and scraping from earlier was louder than ever before, and the two could feel slight vibrations in the rock. Perimon tapped against the rock wall with his hardened wing, only now just realising what had been bugging him. "It's hollow."

"What?"

"The entire mountain is hollow, there's just a metre or so of rock and then it's all empty space in there."

Jack bit his lip. "So does that mean that something was living in there...?"

Perimon didn't need to answer. From the mountain directly underneath them came a huge blue cloud of wings and claws, letting off cackles and screeches as it billowed out, spreading along the other side of the canyon.

Slowly, the cloud began to disperse, splitting off into individual creatures. They looked sort of like large bats, each one about the size of a cat, with short stubby arms ending in vicious-looking sickles. They had broad, red wings, large ears and a furry ruff around their neck. Their eyes were yellow and beady and their mouths were full of sharp-needle like teeth. They clambered across the opposite wall, hissing at one another as each one tried to find a spot. Then, all of a sudden, they stopped. Each individual face, far too many to count, turned and stared at the human boy and his Digimon, exposed on the rocky path. None of them made a noise. The canyon was completely silent.

Jack gingerly held out his D-Nexus. It beeped for a while, trying to pick up something to scan, but then it came up with the information.

"_Pipismon. Armour Level, Data Attribute. Attacks: Crazy Sonic, Sky Jacker_"

Jack looked at the creatures before him. "They don't look like Fire Digimon."

Perimon whispered back. "They're not. I've heard of them though, they're simple scavengers that hide in caves, like the one underneath this mountain.

"What are scavengers?"

"They feed off dead Digimon that fall in the canyon."

"Eww…" Jack thought for a second. "Hang on, doesn't that mean we're okay? I mean we're not dead."

Perimon looked worriedly at his partner. "You've hurt your knee, so we can't move anywhere, there's one of me and at least a hundred and fifty of them."

Jack felt his stomach turn as he looked at the hundreds of yellow eyes watching him. A couple of Pipismon licked their lips, bracing themselves against the wall.

Perimon gulped. "We may as well be dead already…"

Jack shook his head, "There has to be something we can do..." He looked all around, and just for a moment he thought he saw something in the mountainside, a little further ahead. He shifted, wincing as his knee flared up again, but he got a good enough look to see the opening of a cave.

He nudged Perimon, "There's a cave up ahead. I'll need you to help me, but we might be safer if we can get in there."

"Can you move that far?"

"I don't think there's anything else we can do."

Perimon wasn't convinced, "But I'm not strong enough to –"

"SKREEE!"

All of a sudden a majority of the oversized bats launched themselves from the cliffside, heading straight for the two. Ignoring the pain, Jack tried to get to his feet, yelling at Perimon, "Fly away!"

Perimon ignored him, launching himself into the air and confronting the oncoming swarm. He breathed in hard before letting out a cry of "Wind Tunnel!"

The air blast cannoned into the oncoming flock, sending the Pipismon scattering every which way, arguing and chattering as they careened into each other. Some of the flock fell from the sky, their wings torn by the sickles of other members, but it did very little to the massive numbers.

Perimon didn't wait for the group to re-convene; he flew straight over to his partner. "Grab on," he said, holding out his claws for Jack to hold onto. Jack grabbed them and, with Perimon's help, hoisted himself up, gritting his teeth as the weight on it put his knee in agony.

"Go!" Perimon strained against Jack's weight as the boy half-ran, half-hopped towards the cave entrance. Behind them, the Pipismon had sorted themselves out and were careening chaotically towards the helpless partners. Jack and Perimon pressed on, only just reaching the cave entrance before the Pipismon got hold of them.

Perimon yelled, "Sorry..." before he practically dropped Jack inside the cave. Before Jack could reply, Perimon was up at the cave mouth, preparing to take on the flock.

"Barrel Drive!"

He let out a battle cry and launched himself into them, tearing into the ranks of aerial beasts and driving them away from the cave entrance. His tactics seemed to work as the animalistic creatures immediately focused their attentions on the bird, hacking and slashing at him whenever he flew past.

Perimon released another wind tunnel, dispersing the group again, but they kept coming again and again. Perimon gritted his beak, "You won't take me this easily, you ugly bastards." He headbutted the nearest bat and swiped at another, before he was mown down by teeth and sickles, only just pulling himself away from the throng.

Jack had his head in his hands. He felt completely useless; unable to fight with his partner, or evolve him, or even move. He had been so sure he could get to the other side of the mountain. He had promised Grace as much, but in the end he couldn't keep his promise. He felt tears welling again as the gravity of the situation got to him. Perimon would probably die out there, and then the bats would come in and finish him off as well.

Who was he kidding? He couldn't last on his own, not even with Perimon. If he hadn't been so rock-headed he might not be in this situation. But he had just marched ahead without thinking, as usual. Heck, he probably hadn't even come close to reaching the other side.

Then, from out of nowhere, he heard a voice. It was faint, it was hard to hear, but it was clear.

"_JACK, WHERE ARE YOU?"_

The group was close. He and Perimon had nearly made it after all. Jack wiped his tears and, shaking slightly, stood up. He took small, shuffling steps towards the cave mouth, using the wall to support his weight. He'd never given up before now. He could still rejoin the group. No, he would. He was going to finish what he had started, along with Perimon.

As he left the cave, he caught sight of his partner, tussling with a horde of sickles and claws. He yelled over, "We're close! Head this way and try and lose them, the others can help us."

A few of the bats turned their heads towards the sudden distraction, but Perimon soon redirected their attention with a few good shots of air. He was tired, struggling against so many opponents. He held on however, leading the bats away from his partner as Jack shuffled further and further.

"_JACK?"_

"I'M HERE! I'M CLOSE!" Jack yelled back as he turned the final corner of the mountainside. All of a sudden his confidence fell. He was indeed close to the ledge, but where the path should have carried on round, it instead sunk away. He was stranded with Perimon and the scavengers after all.

He clenched his fist. No, it wasn't going to end like this. After everything he and Perimon had fought for, he wasn't going down standing on the edge of some cliff.

Suddenly Perimon wheeled back round, pursued by the Pipismon. Jack watched as his partner dived to escape them, before being swallowed up by the screeching throng. He felt his D-Nexus beeping in his pocket and took it out, holding in a breath as he saw Perimon's stamina bar at a critical level.

"_WHERE ARE YOU?"_

Jack held out his D-Nexus in front of him, feeling more determined than ever. The pain in his knee seemed to disappear as he focused on helping his partner.

"We can do this, Perimon. Together, we can do this."

Perimon felt a new energy within him, unlike any he had ever felt. Despite the Pipismon arguing all around him, he heard Jack's voice, clear and unwavering in his mind. With a newfound burst of strength, he broke through the flock and soared high into the sky, the Pipismon following behind him. His armour had been scratched and dented all over, and one of his eyes had nearly been taken out by a sickle, but he carried on higher and higher, feeling his energy rising even further.

"Primal Control!"

The other side of the ridge, Grace heard her brother's words. She pointed, and the group watched the trails of red energy rocket into the sky, towards the vanishing dot. They scattered the group of Pipismon and converged, pulsating in a red orb.

Far away from anyone, Perimon felt his body changing, finally evolving.

"Evolution Activate!"

He grew in size, his wingspan increasing and his tail lengthening, ending in a wicked-looking spear point. His legs grew more muscular, his talons curving round as bronze straps wrapped themselves around his feet. Mail covered his chest while red feathers extended down his back, blowing in the wind like a cape. His headgear grew and morphed into a Roman-style helmet, and his face extended, his expression becoming more regal.

He opened his eyes fully and gazed down at the flock of Pipismon, before spreading his wings wide, wider than he ever had before, and letting out a battle-cry into the sky, one that reverberated through the mountain range and rang in the ears of everyone that heard it.

"Mistramon!"

* * *

The bats flew towards the new Champion Digimon, screaming blue murder. Mistramon tilted in mid-air and flew straight towards the oncoming group. For a moment it seemed as if he was going to collide with them once again, but all of a sudden he opened up his wings and let out a cry.

"Pressure Wave!"

A front of compressed air scattered the bats, sending them spinning off into the aether, crashing into the mountainside or spiralling down into the ravine. A couple of the flock disintegrated into data, but the rest were only angered more.

Mistramon flapped his wings again, cannoning past the flock at breakneck speed, before slowing himself next to Jack's ledge. His partner was agape at this powerful new form. "Right now, you are probably the coolest thing I've ever seen."

Mistramon looked back at the oncoming throng. "Did you ever want to fly, Jack?" His voice was deeper and more majestic than his previous form.

He ducked down as Jack shuffled to the edge of the path. Jack gulped, but seeing the Pipismon closing in, he swallowed his fear and jumped, landing sprawled on Mistramon's back.

Mistramon began to move away from the cliff edge. "Hold on to the cape, you'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Better be. Hold tight!"

Jack wrapped the long red feathers around his hand as Mistramon began to speed up, twisting and weaving like some sort of aerial rollercoaster. The Pipismon weren't far behind, using their sickles to slash at the bird and the boy on his back, and letting off waves of sonic to try and disorientate them. Mistramon gritted his beak and carried on, the wind flowing over his streamlined shape.

Jack ducked down himself, when he spotted something on the ledge below him. He pointed, the high speed making it an effort. "Mistramon, it's the others!"

A sickle swiped past, just grazing his arm. "Ow!" Mistramon twisted round, letting off another Pressure Wave and knocking the lone Pipismon away, but the others just kept coming in force.

* * *

On the ledge below, the group was staring in astonishment at the aerial battle above them. Kai looked down at Grace, her D-Nexus in hand. "I guess flying on giant metal beasts runs in your family."

Eloise nudged him, "Not now. We've got to do something."

Grace spoke. "There's only one thing we can do, isn't there?"

The rest of the group waited for her response, but she didn't answer, only turning to Aaron.

Aaron closed his eyes. "You're right. We help your brother. We fight."

Kent bent down, tapping Vulpimon on the back. "Hey, weren't you able to talk with Grace last night? I mean through the D-Nexus?"

Vulpimon thought for a moment, "I guess I did…"

Kent looked at his own partner. Trilomon scraped at the ground, thinking hard and fast.

"Each pair of partners is connected by the Elements, and the D-Nexus acts as a physical link. So, I guess partners can talk to each other over short distances, through the D-Nexus."

Eloise frowned. "But Jack and, um, Perimon I guess, are both up there. How are we supposed to reach them?"

Aaron turned to Grace. "You're Jack' sister, maybe you have a link with him as well."

Grace nodded before raising her D-Nexus to her mouth, "Jack, it's me. Can you hear me?"

For a moment there was nothing. Then, suddenly, Jack's faint voice could be heard over the sound of static and wind noise.

"_Who?_"

The group let out a laugh in relief. Grace replied to her brother, "It's me. Grace. Your sister-"

She was cut off as Kent reached over. "Sorry, Grace. I'll just be a minute." The older boy took the D-Nexus and held it up to his own mouth. He spoke clearly and commandingly.

"Listen Jack, we're going to help, but we need you to bring those things over here. Can you get Perimon to turn round and lead them over here?"

The answer came through the D-Nexus straight away.

"_Roger._"

"_Sure. But I'm Mistramon now, not Perimon."_

"Nice one." Kent gave Grace back her D-Nexus, and she whispered a quick word into it. "Good luck."

* * *

High in the sky, Jack looked into his partner's eye. "Did you get that?"

"Course. Just hope they leave some for us!"

Jack grinned, before clinging tight to Mistramon's cape as the mighty eagle banked, leading the throng of bats straight towards the waiting group.

On the ledge, all five humans gripped their D-Nexus's tightly. Beside each of them their partners were ready for action. Eloise looked at the twin dragons between her and Kai, "Are you sure you'll be okay as you are?"

Colchimon nodded, "We've taken down worse things than these before."

Ladomon glanced aside, "Really? Have we actually?"

"Umm…"

"You'll be fine." Kai grinned at the two. "We're here for you." He glanced at Eloise, seeing her worried expression. He winked, before looking ahead at the oncoming party.

Beside them, Aaron, Kent and Grace each felt the energy rise within them. They stepped backward, swinging their D-Nexus's out, "Primal Control!"

Trails of yellow, blue and green energy flowed through the air into Velocimon, Vulpimon and Trilomon respectively. The small bodies began to glow brightly as the transformations took place.

"Evolution Activate…"

"Galvamon!"

"Alopemon!"

"Seismon!"

Mistramon shot over their heads, the flock of Pipismon not far behind. Galvamon locked his hands, the energy building up.

"Charge Bolt!"

Erratic bolts of electricity careened through the air, striking bat after bat and sending them, smoking, down into the chasm. Confused, the rest of the flock split up, with about a two-thirds of them heading down towards their new attackers.

Galvamon called back to the watching humans. "Get back. These guys are nasty."

The humans backed away as their partners engaged the flock. Galvamon extended his claws and began swiping at bats all around him, paralysing them instantly with each hit.

Alopemon growled as she was soon surrounded by the creatures, leaping out of the way of each sickle swipe. Her tail began to glow blue and she tensed herself, before leaping high up into the air and spinning.

"Tail Frost!"

Her attack connected with the bats around her and they disintegrated, letting out pained screams. Their brethren kept up their attacks, and Alopemon began letting off icicles every which way, freezing her targets on impact.

All of a sudden she felt a sharp pain in her back leg. Twisting round, she saw one of the Pipismon clutched tightly onto her right thigh, drawing blood with its grip. She growled and kicked viciously, sending the creature sprawling, but before she could attack it there was a cry of "Strike Thunder!", and the Pipismon was swallowed up by an energy bolt.

Alopemon turned to see Galvamon quickly saluting her, before tussling with some Pipismon of his own. She mumbled to herself, "Show-off."

The numbers of bats were beginning to dwindle, but only just. Each warrior was full on; Galvamon was striking Pipismon down by the dozen, whereas Alopemon was freezing them straight out of the air. Ladomon and Colchimon were holding their own rather well, letting out "Shadow Blade!" after "Sun Spear!" and dissolving their attackers all around them.

Seismon found himself being affronted by a mob of about fifteen Pipismon. He held his staff, ready for the oncoming attack, but instead they opened their mouths and let off a combined burst of sonic. Behind him the humans winced in pain at the shrill noise, but Seismon simply shrugged it off.

"You know I can't actually hear you, right?"

Being an insect, Seismon had no ears to speak of. He tended to pick up vibrations through his feet.

The Pipismon, oblivious to his comment, kept screeching. Trilomon sighed, before swinging and stabbing into the ground, "Seismic Shards!"

The fragments of rock sent his mobsters spinning away. Seismon broke his spear and folded it away.

"Want me to show you how to really cause vibrations?"

He held out his arm, charging energy and bracing himself.

"Earth Cannon!"

The glowing bullet flew straight into the mob and exploded, sending the members in all directions, shedding data as they flew away (miraculously without the help of their wings).

* * *

High in the sky, Mistramon dodged another burst of sonic. The Pipismon were relentless, unable to cease attacking thanks to their hunger for flesh. Mistramon looked back at Jack, "You still holding on tight?"

"Oh yeah."

"Good. This might get interesting."

The blade at the end of Mistramon's tail began to emit a bright pink glow, and let off a trail of energy that burned any of the bats that touched it.

"Spiral Force!"

Mistramon all of a sudden banked up, and began to loop-the-loop, the trail of energy growing in intensity as it spiralled out from its centre. The Pipismon yelled as the blades of energy sliced into their ranks (and a fair few of their members). Mistramon kept going, with his pursuers unable to get close without being sliced in two. Eventually, Mistramon left the loop, satisfied that his own group had been all but destroyed.

He glanced backward at his now very dizzy partner. "How are you doing back there?"

"The…mountains…are…spinning…"

Mistramon chuckled. "We ought to get back and help the others."

"Which…way…?"

Mistramon headed back to the ledge, where the other five partners were still deep in battle. Galvamon, tussling with a rather large and bulky Pipismon, called up to him. "Where the hell have you been? You dumped your battle on us and then you scarpered!"

Mistramon shook his head, chuckling as he landed by the humans, allowing Jack to get off and stumble towards his sister.

"You know, I thought you could handle this without my help. Oh well…"

He flew up against the mountainside, before facing the battleground.

"Brace yourselves!"

The partners heard him and held on tightly, or scampered out the way. Before any of the Pipismon could follow, Mistramon opened his wings.

"Pressure Wave!"

The shockwave hit the remaining flock head on and sent them careening off the side of the ledge, where they tumbled, screeching, down into the chasm. Seismon immediately spun his (re-assembled) spear and jammed it into the rock at the edge of the ledge. There was a short rumble, followed by a crashing and a huge cloud of dust as the edge broke and tumbled down after the falling bats. Each Digimon rushed over to the human partners, keeping them together and protecting them from falling rubble. The rockslide continued for about thirty seconds, before the vibrations gradually ceased and the last cries of the Pipismon faded away.

Gingerly, the humans and their Digimon walked to what was left of the edge of the pathway. They tried to see into the chasm, but the dust had yet to settle.

Seismon rested on his spear, looking rather pleased with himself. "I meant to do that this time."

Colchimon made a strange expression. "I'm sure that counts as cheating."

"Oh, lighten up." Mistramon ruffled up his neck feathers and took off into the sky, hovering just in front of the other partners.

"After all, all's fair in love and kickassery."

Before anyone could answer, Mistramon let out another cry, one of celebration. Jack, ignoring the still-nagging pain in his knee and the adrenaline rush catching him up, pumped the air with his fist.

"Woo! You guys rock!"

* * *

The group decided to stop, although only briefly, to allow everyone to rest and sort themselves out. One by one, the Digimon began to de-evolve. Most of them were still rather excited after their first real battle together, except for Vulpimon, who Grace had asked to come and help her brother. Although Jack's knee had stuck back in, it was still swollen and painful, so Grace had got Vulpimon to apply some ice around it, just to help the swelling go away. By the time she had finished, Jack was feeling a whole lot better.

"You don't think this will go away, do you?"

Grace looked at her brother, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the Digital World heals things like this, doesn't it?"

Grace gave a look that simply said 'I don't know'. Vulpimon stepped in, "I think the Digital World can only return a body to the state it was in when it arrived. Since you've had this most of your life, I think it's still going to be a problem." She looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry."

Jack looked very deflated. "Not your fault. I guess I'll just have to deal with it."

Grace looked at her partner, who merely shrugged. There wasn't much they could say.

"Grace…?"

She looked at her brother, "What?"

"I'm…sorry."

"What for?"

Jack sighed. Perimon stood beside him, looking pretty dejected himself. "I didn't mean to cause all this trouble. I though I could manage by myself. I thought I didn't need anyone else. But I just got in trouble, and you all had to save me. "

He leant back, the thin ice coating around his knee still numbing the pain from before.

"I know you only want to keep me safe. I just don't want to be useless here."

Vulpimon looked at Perimon knowingly. "Where have I heard that before?" she said sarcastically.

"You know, Jack?"

Grace sat down beside her brother, leaning against the mountain herself.

"I think you did great today."

"What?"

"Oh, I'm not saying you should do it more often" Grace looked worried for a moment. "Please don't."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"Good." Grace sighed. "What I mean is, well, you did manage to get through it. You helped win the day just as much as Perimon, or any of us."

"But my knee went, Grace. I could hardly move."

"Did that stop you?" Grace put her arm around her brother. "You managed to do what you said you would. You didn't give up, even when you were hurting so badly."

Jack looked almost embarrassed. "I guess not."

"I'm proud of you, Jack."

* * *

Some way away, Kai kept an eye on the siblings, watching as they smiled at one another and embraced. He gave a little smirk himself. By the looks of it the day had turned out for the best. They only had a short distance to go before they could leave the mountain area and get back to the forest. Perhaps things could turn out alright.

His brief smile faded rather quickly. It wouldn't be as easy as that. No matter what, something would always go wrong. He could feel it, every time…

"Something wrong?"

"Aah!" Kai stumbled a little and fell back against the wall. Eloise, despite herself, couldn't help laughing a little. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me!" Kai blushed a little, turning his normally deathly-pale skin to a slight pink colour.

Eloise shook her head. "Right…course not..."

Kai composed himself and reassumed his position. "Well, it seems like everything worked out, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I suppose so…"

Kai, confused, looked at Eloise, and saw her looking down, obviously bothered about something.

"What's wrong yourself? You're not usually this uneasy."

Before Eloise could answer, Aaron called over, "We're going to head off in a few minutes. We really need to get down to the forest before nightfall."

A chorus of "Okay"s and "Fine"s answered him, and Eloise shook her head. "It doesn't matter Kai."

"Well, it looked like it did…" Kai wasn't sure how to press her.

"Since when were you so concerned about everyone else?"

Kai couldn't think of an answer. Eloise laughed and gave him a small punch on the shoulder, "I was only kidding. I know you care. You wouldn't hurt a fly, I know you'd never do anything to hurt us."

She walked off to talk to Aaron, leaving Kai standing, her last words ringing in his mind.

"Maybe you know that." He shuffled, his eyes pointing at the floor.

"I'm not sure I do…"

* * *

Far away, in the distance, a Digimon had all three of its glowing green eyes fixated on the group. It stood, proud and aloof, with its segmented tail waving back and forth, and large glowing beads rotating around its body with a slight hum.

It said nothing, only watching as the group made their way out of the mountain range. The Digimon flexed, basking in the early afternoon sun, before it turned and padded its way back down the mountain.

These were the guys who had taken down Cephalomon, huh? This might be more interesting than it had first thought.


	7. Episode 7: Perfect Balance

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 7: Perfect Balance

* * *

The forest was still as the Red Beast padded along, the leaves gently crunching under his armoured paws. The air was fragrant with the smell of pine and leaf litter, and sunbeams gently filtered in through the canopy above. Personally, the Red Beast hated it; being much more of a magma and brimstone fan himself. If he had the liberty to do what he wanted, he would have burnt this pace to the ground long ago.

Unfortunately for him, this forest had to be kept alive, at least for now. While most others had been burnt to the ground by the rampaging armies, this one had to remain as it was, for the children to find it. It had been his own decision; give the humans a nice place to run around in, and perhaps they would reveal some of their...weaker points. After all, if he wasn't allowed to kill them yet, he could at least be prepared.

The beast stopped in a clearing. Stretching out in front of him was a large forest pool, which seemed very out of place somewhere so far away from the sea. He gently reached out his front paw and dipped it into the crystalline water, watching as the ripples spread out into the dark centre.

The waters calmed again. The beast waited, and waited. Suddenly, the surface shook a little, before the ripples started up again. Like the emergence of something from the depths of hell, the monstrous tentacled head of Cephalomon broke the surface, stopping just below the beak of his mask. He looked around and glared at the Red Beast, who calmly sat down on his haunches, gently licking his lips.

"Well?"

"They were heading down the mountain last I saw of them. They should've pretty much reached the forest by now."

Cephalomon's eyes narrowed. "Anything you're not telling me?"

The Red Beast yawned, before answering nonchalantly, "Well, they got into a scuffle with a flock of Pipismon. By the looks of it four of them have managed to evolve already."

Cephalomon let off a displeased string of bubbles. "They're only getting stronger as we wait. We're wasting time."

"Well then, maybe you shouldn't be sending cannon-fodder for them to beat up now."

"Say what?"

"You remember that little force of Tankmon you put together? 'Just to flush them out of hiding' or something?"

"Yes..."

The Red Beast smirked, "I think they're still stuck at the bottom of a cliff, waving their little treads in the air helplessly. That is if they haven't overheated yet and blown up."

Cephalomon got very angry very quickly, and the water around him began to bubble and foam. His colleague waited, and Cephalomon calmed down, the water stilling again.

"Fine. What do you suggest we do with them?"

"Surtremon said not to kill them. Not yet." The Red Beast smiled as his partner's huge, glowing eyes looked on. "He said nothing about leaving them alone though."

"So we do send things after them?"

"So as they don't get too comfortable. And if one or two of them 'accidentally die', well, it was our subordinates being clumsy."

"And if they don't die? What if they keep getting stronger?"

"Then we keep watching and find their weak points. Think of it as an ongoing project. Trial and error. Finding what works."

Cephalomon thought to himself. He looked at his partner, "You're a sneaky bugger, aren't you?"

His partner swung his head proudly, his mane briefly fanning out. "Someone needs to have the brains around here."

The octopus-monster rolled his eyes at the blatant insult. "Fine, so long as I get to meet them again sometime. I have a little...unfinished business."

The Red Beast stood up. "Fair enough. I'll keep you posted if I find anything new."

"Don't fanny about for too long, will you? It's boring just floating around with nothing interesting to do."

"Be patient. Not everyone lives life by your constant squash-and-burn standards. Some of us are a little more laid back."

Cephalomon rolled his eyes again. "Whatever. Just do your trial-and-error stuff and call me when I'm allowed to squash and burn stuff."

The Red Beast smiled sarcastically, "I'll keep it in mind."

He watched as Cephalomon sank once again beneath the dark waters of the pool, and the ripples calmed down to reveal the still, mirror-like surface.

Perhaps there was another good thing about keeping this area alive after all. The beautiful and serene atmosphere was a perfect mask for the sinister horrors lurking within. The Red Beast shrugged, and wandered off once again to find the children.

* * *

"You down okay?"

"Hang on a minute..." Jack hopped over the last few rocks before he landed on solid ground, finally joining the rest of the group. "Okay, I'm down." He grinned.

"Awesome!" Aaron brushed his hands off, the near-constant mountain climbing having rubbed away at them rather a lot. "Right, so where are we going now?"

Everybody looked ahead at the forest in front of them. It was very different to the crystalline groves they had seen when they'd arrived. This forest was lighter, almost airier, and there was a cool breeze running through. The trees were tall and looked almost like fir trees, with thin, blade-like leaves.

Velocimon scratched his chin. "Well, that's a pleasant change."

"Maybe you think so." Perimon had settled down next to Jack, looking a little annoyed. "I can't fly around easily in here, the trees get in the way."

"And the problem is...?"

Perimon looked around. "Who was that?"

Kai looked around innocently. Colchimon shook his head, "No-one said anything. We promise!"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just get going."

The group set off once again, thankful for the much easier walk. Kai, as usual, was dragging his feet at the back of the group; avoiding getting left behind, but not exactly mingling with them.

Ladomon shuffled back a little and beckoned Colchimon to come and talk to her.

"Come on, it's sad seeing you two all by yourselves back there."

Colchimon looked at his partner with a quizzical eye. Kai shrugged, "You don't need to ask me. You can fly ahead with the others if you want."

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Colchimon unwrapped himself from his familiar location around Kai's shoulders and flew forward to join Ladomon. Kai gave a slight smile, and shifted his shoulders a couple of times, relieved to be free of the Colchimon scarf (although admittedly, the dragon didn't weigh all that much).

* * *

"Are you sure it's good for you to stay all on your own with him?"

Colchimon looked at Ladomon, who bunched up a little, not wanting to carry on.

"How do you mean? He is my partner, you know."

"I know, I know, but..." Ladomon glanced back. "Don't take this personally, but there's been something a little weird about him from the start."

Colchimon opened his mouth to protest, thought a little, then spoke. "Okay, I see where you're coming from. But I don't believe he's a bad person of any sort. He's just..." He thought again. "...independent."

Ladomon looked deep in thought herself. Colchimon nudged her a little. "I trust him, is what I'm saying. He knows what he's doing."

* * *

The two dragons were out of earshot from Eloise, who was trudging along gently on her own, slowly falling behind the main group at the front as her eyes darted around. The forest may have been beautiful, but the near-constant danger they had been in beforehand kept her wary. Besides, she had lots on her mind.

"You okay there? You look a little lost."

Eloise spun round to face Kai, blushing a little, "Sorry, I guess I'm just nervous."

"Fair enough."

Kai half-smiled, brushing a clump of hair away from his eyes as he did so.

Eloise breathed and tried to relax. She had to admit it felt like they were finally in a safe place. The atmosphere was calming, almost making her drowsy. But she supposed it could be another trick. This place was good at those.

"I guess I'm never going to relax in this world. Even in nice places, it feels like something's going to jump out any minute."

Kai smirked. "What do you mean? It's not like we get attacked every six hours now, is it?"

"Don't, you'll jinx it!"

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Kai looked around. "If anything happened in here, we'd surely smell it or hear it before it got anywhere near."

Eloise looked into Kai's hauntingly blue eyes. "I guess you're right. I'm just being nervous, as usual."

"Nothing wrong with being nervous."

The two walked on, not saying anything for a few minutes, merely watching the path ahead of them, with the four other humans and their Digimon bickering amongst themselves.

Kai cocked his head to one side, "Something on your mind? Don't you usually walk with them?"

"Yeah..." Eloise sighed. "It's not that I don't like you, I do. I'm just usually a bit more talkative, and you're not exactly chatty. No offense."

"None taken. In fact I'll take that as a compliment."

"It's just...since I've got here, I wondered what I stayed for. I mean, I know I said I wanted to help the Digimon, but...stuff like the Element of Light and beating the Fire Kingdom and...it just gets a little confusing."

Kai thought this over. "You know what I think? Why you stayed?"

"Huh?"

"You want to help people. It's how you are." Kai went on. "Think about it. You were the first to step in and talk to Kent, or Grace, or whoever needed it. You want to make sure everyone's okay."

Eloise raised her eyebrow. "Are you saying I'm too nice?"  
"Of course not. The group needs someone like you."

Kai waved his hand. "Look at everyone. Who do you see? Everyone has their own place in this little group. Everyone works with each other. You saw the Pipismon fight, that's how strong they've become already."

Eloise nodded. "What about me then? Where do I fit in?"

"Well...you're the nice sensible one who everyone should be listening to but nobody does for some reason."

Eloise let out a giggle. "Oh come on, Aaron's not that bad. And you're pretty reliable yourself."

Kai smiled, but his eyes looked almost sad for a moment. He sighed, "Trust me, Eloise, I'm not a good role model. I was the first one to volunteer for this, remember?"

"You're still a part of the group." Eloise nudged him slightly. "Don't bring yourself down."

Kai humphed. Eloise pouted a little, but remained by his side. He could be a little stand-offish sometimes, but there was something almost welcoming about Kai. He seemed like a nice guy, the little she knew of him. Maybe that would be all he needed, just someone to talk to now and again.

Something cracked. Eloise jumped, but Kai calmed her down, "Just a twig. Nothing to worry about."

"I know. It shouldn't be a big deal anyway, should it? I mean four of our Digimon can evolve now. It can't be too long before Ladomon and Colchimon do too."

Kai let out a laugh, but it sounded hollow, almost bitter. "If it's all the same to you I'd rather not go looking for fights."

Eloise shrugged. "It'll happen sooner or later. I'm sure it'll turn out well, I mean it can only get better if we get stronger, right?"

"Maybe. But maybe you don't want me getting involved." Kai smiled, "I'm sure five of you with your Champions could take on a Digimon just fine."

Eloise laughed, "You can't just leave us alone like that!"

"Yeah, well, maybe it's for the best."

Eloise stopped laughing after seeing his expression. Kai was looking away from her, his face dead straight. There wasn't a flicker of anguish or humour anywhere, his face was an impassive stone wall.

"Why's it such a problem? Are you scared of fighting? You seemed okay earlier?"

Kai said nothing for a few seconds. Then he looked round at her and smiled, his face still betraying nothing.

"Yeah. Let's just say I'm scared."

Eloise was about to ask more when a remark from Kent stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Guys, what's that over there...?"

The group gathered around Kent and slowly followed his gaze. Part shaded by the canopy was some sort of settlement. A group of weird tent-like things (in various states of falling apart) stood around a central area, complete with an old fire pit and some sort of large wooden spire. The tents appeared to be made from sticks and covered with fur and pelts, probably from other Digimon. A couple of the tents were missing, with large black scorch marks where they had obviously once stood.

The group gingerly walked forward into the settlement. Kent bent down and felt the earth, "There was an attack here. There's carbon left behind."

Grace shivered. The cool breeze suddenly felt very cold. "How many Digimon do you think lived here?"

Kent stood up. "It's hard to say. Could've be anything from ten to fifty."

Aaron and Kai were wandering around, trying to find any sort of clue or sign of life. Velocimon lifted one of the tent flaps. "Looks like nobody's home anymore."

"Were they...killed?"

Velocimon looked solemn. "Probably. The Fire Kingdom don't mess around."

"I'm not so sure..."

Everyone looked at Kai.

"Well think about it. If there had been a major attack here, surely there wouldn't be anything left. I mean yeah, there's a couple of scorch marks, but this place is mostly untouched."

Aaron frowned. "So...what? Did the Fire Kingdom just chase them out or something?"

Velocimon shook his head. "That's not how they work. But you're right, there doesn't seem to be the sign of a struggle anywhere around here."

He looked up as Perimon landed from having a quick scout. The bird shrugged. "No trail or anything. Looks like whoever lived here just up and left."

"So...if no-one lives here, does that mean that it's up for grabs?"

Aaron's thoughts elicited a mumbling from the rest of the group. Kent bit his lower lip. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

Velocimon nodded. "He's right. Something's wrong about this place, I can feel it."

Aaron looked at the rest of the group. They were all understandably wary, but they were all also exhausted. They'd been moving and battling for the best part of two days now with very little chance to stop.

"I know it might not be the best place, but really we just need somewhere to recuperate for a couple of days. Just get our bearings before we head onto the Fire Kingdom. This might be the only place we'll find in a while."

Kent thought for a minute. "Well, it would give me a chance to find out a couple of things..."

Grace nodded. "That would help Jack as well. It would give him a chance for his knee to recover a bit."

"Hey, it's not that bad." Jack wiggled his leg a little, feeling the now dull ache from the slightly-swollen area. "Although, maybe it is a little tired."

"We're all a little tired." Eloise stepped forward. "I think we should stay."

Most of the Digimon nodded in agreement. "Sounds fair." Velocimon looked displeased, but decided to go along with the group decision.

Kai was still some way away. Perhaps they did all just need a break from stuff. But still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with this place, the forest in general.

"Kai, look at this."

Colchimon beckoned his partner over to the base of the strange tower. Kai brushed away the weeds and saw something shining.

"What do you suppose that is?"

Colchimon shrugged. Kai gingerly touched it, before grasping it and pulling. The tower swayed a bit but held, and out from the base slipped a sword. It was ornate and a strange golden colour, the blade slightly longer than Kai's forearm. At least, it would have been, but the blade had somehow been twisted into a near perfect helix. Kai noticed another flash at the base of the tower and pulled out another sword, practically identical to the first one, right down to the spiralling blade.

At a loss, he looked at his partner "Who's do you suppose these were?"

"What've you got there?"

Kai spun round (being careful not to swing the swords out behind him as he did so) and saw Eloise looking in curiously. She noticed the swords, and frowned, "I take it they were from the previous tenant?"

"Possibly. They were just stuck in the ground below the tower. Maybe a hiding place or something."

"There's something else there as well..." Eloise reached her arm in and grabbed hold of something. She pulled it out, and held it out for Kai (and the rest of the now-assembling group) to see. It was a black mask, or perhaps a helmet, very like a raven's beak, with a golden ornament planted in the top. It was well-worn and had chips and cracks all over it.

Eloise turned it over, and noticed some markings on the underside, written in a strange language.

"Hey, Trilomon, can you read these?"

She lowered it down and the insect Digimon spun it round to have a look. He mumbled to himself for a minute, before looking up, "It's very archaic, whatever it is. I can get the basic gist of it though. I...think..." He didn't sound sure.

Ladomon peered over Eloise's shoulder. "What do you think it says?"

"_You...don't...belong...here..."_

There was silence for a few seconds. Jack looked up at Kent, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know." Kent folded his arms. "Whatever it means, I don't think it's good news for us."

"Look," Aaron stepped forward, acknowledging the group as a whole, "There's bad stuff out there. You're right, this probably doesn't mean anything good. But since we're here, we're all going to need to stick together and battle through stuff like this. We can; four of our partners have evolved already. We're getting stronger by the hour, and we can only improve."

Velocimon nodded, "You're right. We can deal with anything Cephalomon can send against us."

"Awesome. So what do you say we stay here a couple of days and build our strength up."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement. Except for one person. Kai put his hands in his coat pockets, "Please don't say that we're actually looking for fights."

Aaron turned to the older boy. "We can't exactly avoid them, you know. As I said, we all need to fight together."

Kai looked away. "Surely you can manage without me though. As you said, the group's already stronger than we were when we started. I'd only get in the way."

Colchimon hovered above his partner, "No you wouldn't! Besides, you let me battle the Pipismon earlier, what's wrong with carrying on?"

Kai tried to think of a response. He wasn't sure he knew himself. But, back when they were fighting the Pipismon, something had felt very wrong. Something that he couldn't pin down.

Eloise turned to face him, still holding the mask. "What is your issue with fighting all of a sudden? Why is it suddenly okay for you to leave it to us?"

"I'm not just leaving it to you. It's just..." Kai trailed off. His face stayed completely straight, but it was clear he was struggling to think of an answer. Everyone gathered round him was waiting expectantly.

"What's wrong, Kai?"

Kai exhaled. "Nothing. It's not your problem."

He walked forward, heading towards the forest. Kent sighed. "Well, that's mature."

"Glad you think so."

Eloise joined Aaron, "Kai, where are you going? We need to stick together."

Kai turned round, his arms held wide. "I'm not going far. I'm just going to clear my head."

"Kai, don't be like this."

Kai ignored her and walked on, heading into the forest. Colchimon flew after him, "Kai!"

"Leave him alone." Aaron put his hands in his pockets and let out a sigh. "He's just being difficult."

Eloise huffed. "I really don't get him. At all."

"He'll sort himself out. Hell, everyone else seems to."

Aaron looked around. "Well, if we're going to stay here we should probably try and sort this place out a little."

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest, a monster was coming. Called partly by its insatiable thirst for violence, and partly by a strange subconscious voice, it gently shuffled towards its target, surprisingly gently for something its size. It brushed aside trees and forged a path with only the slightest rustling, its great bony body relatively light and agile.

Behind it stood the Red Beast, a smile playing over his jaws. The perfect test, he thought. Maybe that motley group of freedom fighters could take out a flock of Pipismon, but how effective would their firepower be against something more...brutal. He let out a short growl of anticipation, before heading back into the undergrowth, hoping to beat the monster. Perhaps he might have seemed to be guiding his one-mon army to its destination. Truth be told, he wanted a good spectator seat.

* * *

It was getting dark once again. The group had spent a couple of hours setting up the camp, but most were now just laying back a little, trying to grab a few hours rest. Eloise lay underneath one of the canopies, facing upwards and looking at the odd symbols adorning the material. So much more that she didn't get. She sighed, and shuffled a little.

"Ow!"

She jumped and sat up, feeling the sharp pain in her thigh. She patted the leafy floor and found the mask, which she had brought in with her. She must have spiked herself on the sharp end. She checked her leg, but there didn't seem to be a mark or anything.

Sighing, she crossed her legs and took another look at the back of the mask, trying to find any other markings on it, as if it could somehow let her understand this whole mess even more.

Why her? Why had she been brought here to the Digital World anyway? It had seemed like just coincidence at the time, but the longer Eloise had been here, the more she felt like there was something more, like she had a connection with Ladomon (aside from the Elemental link between them). Why did she get Light anyway?

Eloise exhaled, and buried her head in her hands. There was a rustling at the entrance, and a serpentine face poked its way through, "Hi, is this a bad time?"

Eloise looked up. "No, it's okay Colchimon. I'm just thinking."

Colchimon and Ladomon wormed their way inside. Colchimon looked ill-at-ease, "My partner's still AWOL. I'm kinda worried about him."

"He has been gone a while." Eloise frowned, "Mind you, he's probably just moping somewhere."

"Still...it's getting pretty dark. What if something's happened to him?"

Eloise looked into the shadow-dragon's eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry, I was just a little annoyed with him for walking off. But, I suppose he is part of the team."

"You'll come with us?"

"Sure." Eloise crawled out of the tent and stretched her arms, "It can't be that difficult to find him."

"Famous last words."

Eloise turned and saw Aaron, poking a dwindling fire next to Velocimon.

"I take it you're heading out to find Kai?"

"Yup." Eloise got out her D-Nexus, "We'll be careful. If you're worried, someone else can come too."

Aaron leant back. "We haven't seen a single Digimon in this forest since we've got here. Frankly, we're in just as much danger here as we are anywhere else in the forest." He turned to face her, "Please just bring him back okay."

"I will." At that, Eloise and her two serpentine companions walked (or hovered) away into the forest, on the lookout for their missing comrade.

* * *

"So...which way is north again?"

Eloise was trying to decipher the smaller map on her D-Nexus, in order to find Kai. She thought it would be straightforward, but she quickly discovered that navigation was not her strongest suite. Ladomon hovered beside her, offering helpful hints.

"Have you tried turning it the other way round?"

"Yes. Twice. It hasn't helped, I still can't read it."

"Well...if the white dot is us, then..." Ladomon trailed off, completely stumped.

Eloise sighed, and shook the device rigorously. "Shouldn't it, I don't know, do it automatically or something? Who makes these things anyway?"

"I'm not sure anybody actually makes them. Yours kind of...appeared, didn't it?"

Eloise was about to reply when she noticed something new on the screen. A dark blue dot on the left edge of the screen. Another D-Nexus.

"Yes, he's close!" Eloise walked forward, then turned left, then right, then let out a scream of frustration. "I don't get it! What's wrong with this bloody map?"

"Over here, Eloise." Colchimon poked his head out from the undergrowth to the left. "I've found him."

Eloise and Ladomon followed the darkness dragon. Sure enough, leaning against a tree, was the missing member of the team. He must have heard her come, as he turned his head towards her, "Hi there."

"Hi there?" Eloise was more than a little exasperated. "You walk off on your own and then we don't see you for hours. What the hell are you playing at? We were worried about you!"

Kai brushed a couple of hair spikes away from his eyes, and straightened up a bit. "You're right. Sorry, I've been a bit of an idiot, haven't I?"

Eloise stopped talking. She shuffled, unsure how to take this. "Um...yes? I mean, maybe a little, no offense..."

"Don't worry yourself. It's my fault." Kai replied bluntly. He shrugged. "Should we head back?"

Eloise shook her head. "Not yet." Ladomon and Colchimon looked at each other as Eloise positioned herself next to Kai against the tree.

Kai raised his eyebrows, "Something you wanted to ask me?

"I don't know." Eloise looked up at the night sky. "It's like you said, I just want to help. But I'm looking at you and I have no idea what you're thinking."

Kai looked almost surprised. "Since when did you care so much about me?"

"Since you said you didn't want to fight, but you wouldn't tell us why." Eloise looked the taller boy in the eye.

Kai said nothing for what felt like a few minutes. Colchimon nudged his partner, but Kai had his eyes closed and his head down, as if he was meditating. Eloise waited patiently for his answer.

Without warning, Kai got out his D-Nexus. "Can you feel your Element, Eloise?"

Eloise started. "What do you mean?"

"Well, your Element's Light isn't it?" He held up his D-Nexus, "Can you feel the Element within you? Within this?"

Eloise wasn't quite sure where he was coming from, but she held up her own D-Nexus. Apart from the faint hum it gave off, she couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

Kai saw the confusion on her face, so he carried on. "When we bonded with our partners, we shared the Elements between us and them. The Elements are in us, giving us and our Digimon power when we need them. But they might also influence our actions and our thoughts."

Eloise looked at him. "Is that what you're worried about? Your Element?"

Kai looked down at his D-Nexus. "Darkness." A cold breeze blew through the forest, making Eloise shiver. Kai looked at her. "It doesn't exactly instil confidence, does it?"

Eloise looked down at her own device once again. Maybe the Elements did have some other effects aside from just allowing their partners to evolve. She hadn't really thought about it, but now she did, she wasn't sure how she felt. What would having the Element of Light mean she would become?

"The others have been fine so far? What makes you think it'll be any different for us?"

"As far as I can tell, Darkness is a bad sign here. I'm worried I'll be putting everyone else in danger if I fight alongside them. Especially you, with the Element of Light."

"I don't see that that's a problem."

The two teenagers turned to Colchimon, who had spoken. He and Ladomon were hovering just in front of them.

Colchimon turned to his partner. "Darkness may be a powerful Element, and I've heard it's been unstable before, but it's still only an Element. How you use it is all down to you. And there's nothing stopping Light and Darkness from fighting together."

Kai tilted his head slightly. "How does that work? They're practically opposite, aren't they?"

"Look at us." Ladomon spread her wings slightly. "Colchimon and I have been together for as long as we can remember. Probably since we hatched from our eggs. We may wield opposing Elements, but we've always fought at our strongest when we've been together. It's just who we are, not what powers we have."

Kai looked down. "I don't know..."

"I'm sure you can." Eloise put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's head back to the camp."

Before they could even take a step, out of nowhere came a huge, unearthly roar. Eloise flinched, and the dragons instinctively bristled, tensing themselves. "What the heck was that?"

Colchimon growled. "I don't know, but I have a horrible feeling I know where it is..."

Eloise looked at the others. "We need to get back."

"I can't..."

"We have to. We have to help the others-"

Eloise had turned to Kai, but she saw something was wrong. Kai was visibly trembling, his hands unable to stop shaking.

All of a sudden he broke into a run, further into the forest. "KAI!" Eloise tried to stop him, but he had already disappeared from view. "DAMNIT!"

Another roar came from the settlement. Eloise tried to think, to clear her head, but the situation was beginning to panic her. She turned to Colchimon, "Go and find him. I don't know what's wrong, but we need his help. Please."

Colchimon looked at Ladomon, reluctant to leave her. She nodded, "Whatever it is, we'll be able to handle it for the moment. Go, bring him back."

Colchimon nodded. "Okay." He sped off into the undergrowth after his partner. Ladomon turned to her partner, "What on earth was that about?"

"No time to think about it." Eloise beckoned her partner, and the two of them ran back towards the settlement.

* * *

Kent had been the first to notice the creature making its way towards the settlement. He had been sitting down with his laptop, trying to delve a little more into the surrounding code. Trilomon was settled down beside him, looking over at what he was doing, when suddenly Kent looked up from the lines of code and glanced around.

His partner noticed him. "What is it?"

Kent closed the computer, "Something's coming."

Trilomon crouched down, holding his head down next to the ground, trying to pick up vibrations. He almost jumped a mile, "You're right. It's huge as well!"

Kent stood up and got out his D-Nexus, looking for any sign of oncoming danger. He didn't have to look for long, as he noticed the treetops behind the settlement shaking and rustling. Gaze of human and partner looked down, and both of them noticed the large, bony feet, making their way through the undergrowth before them.

* * *

"We've got trouble!"

Aaron looked over to see the older boy running haphazardly towards him, his partner scuttling along behind him. Velocimon ran over to get a look himself.

Kent was breathing heavily when he reached Aaron. "Do you know where Kai is?"

Aaron flustered. "Er...Eloise went off to find him." Behind him Jack and Grace came running, having been disturbed by the commotion.

"That's not good."

"Well, surely we can deal with whatever it is? I mean, all our Digimon can fight..." He trailed off as he saw the creature enter the settlement itself, leaves and branches cascading off of it.

"Ah."

The Digimon was a huge, dinosaur-like creature that seemed to be made almost entirely out of bones. It stood taller than the (now-rather flattened) treeline all around the clearing, with a head almost the size of a car. It's arms moved around like they were being operated by a bad puppeteer, and they ended on huge claws, each one as long as Jack was tall. The creature's lower jaw extended way beyond its upper one, and a horn rose from the middle of its forehead. Just underneath its jaw, behind its massive ribcage, the group could see the creature's massive heart beating (although it didn't seem to be connected to any blood vessels), and on its back was strapped a huge, missile-shaped organic mass, like some kind of giant orange shark.

It's normally emerald-green eyes had turned a savage fiery-red, and they darted around the clearing, the creature almost blinded by its madness to see them. Almost. The Red Beast, watching as he was from deep within the undergrowth, had picked this particular soldier very carefully.

Aaron had his D-Nexus out and was scanning the creature before them.

"_SkullGreymon. Ultimate Level, Virus Attribute. Attacks: Dark Shot, Curse Breath_"

Aaron barely heard the words, so stunned he was at the monster before him. It maybe wasn't as big as Cephalomon had been, but at least Cephalomon had had a certain tentacle-y grace about him. This thing was simply monstrous.

The creature's simple mind clicked. It threw back its head and let out a long, terrifying roar.

Velocimon stood in front of the creature, cracking his claws and ready to fight. He looked back at the rest of the Digimon, "Are you ready for this?"

Jack looked at Aaron, "What about Eloise and Kai?"

"We're going to have to deal without them for the moment." Aaron had his D-Nexus out as he felt his energy rising. "Hopefully they heard the roar."

Without warning, SkullGreymon swung it's huge, skeletal right arm and slammed it into the ground where Velocimon was. Or at least, where he would have been if he hadn't jumped out of the way a millisecond beforehand. The dinosaur glanced back at his partner. "Now, by any chance?" he yelled sarcastically.

The four humans swung their D-Nexus's out in front of them, their energy at a maximum.

"Primal Control!"

"Evolution Activate!"

The energy swirled in all its Technicolor glory around their partners, as their forms began to shift and reshape into their champion ones. Within seconds, the transformations were complete.

"Galvamon!"

"Mistramon!"

"Seismon!"

"Alopemon!"

The four barely touched their feet on the ground before they leapt out of the way once again as the giant claw swung round, knocking over the fragile tents like they were matchstick models. Seismon assembled his staff and struck the ground, "Seismic Shards!"

Rock shards struck bone claw, but its arc didn't even slow. Seismon braced himself as the massive hand crashed into him, sending him rolling away across the clearing. Dented and dazed, he supported himself on his staff as he righted himself.

"This is going to be tricky."

"He's an Ultimate level. A powerful one at that." Galvamon dodged SkullGreymon's attack and fired off three bolts of electricity. "I thought all the SkullGreymon had torn each other apart before the army was even put together."

"Pressure Wave!" Mistramon shot a blast of air into the SkullGreymon's face before wheeling away, "Yeah, now might not be the best time to be talking about stuff."

As attacks flew in every direction, the human partners were kept on their toes, avoiding the debris coming towards them from every which way.

Aaron was beginning to get worried. While their partners were holding out well, they didn't seem to be able to even make a dent on the mighty dinosaur. It hadn't been that long since their last battle, and their lack of energy seemed to be showing. Aaron gritted his teeth, "Where the hell are the other two?"

"Look!" Grace pointed behind them as Eloise staggered out, Ladomon just behind them. She blinked at the scene before her, before she fully took in the monstrous skeletal creature.

"Eloise, you're okay!" Aaron looked around, "Um, where's Kai?"

"He ran away."

"WHAT?" Aaron felt his gut twist as the depth of the situation hit him. "What the hell is he doing?"

"He's terrified, Aaron. I don't know what of, but there's something seriously wrong and I can't deal with it. I sent Colchimon to try and bring him back."

Kent looked behind the girl into the dark undergrowth. "Way to be here when we need him."

Jack looked at Ladomon, "Can't you still help?"

Eloise got out her D-Nexus, but felt a wave of dismay as the Energy Transfer meter stayed firmly empty. She banged the device, "What the hell is WRONG with this thing?"

"I don't think I can evolve, Eloise..."

Ladomon hovered in front of her partner, her wings hunched with shame. "It's evening, so my powers are weak. I can't do a thing without Colchimon here." She floated down to the ground, coiling up tightly as she felt tears in her eyes.

The rest of the group flinched as Alopemon was thrown towards them, arcing round and rejoining the battle. Eloise crouched down next to her partner and put her arms around her. "You're not weak. I know you're not. I believe in you."

The two stayed there for a couple of seconds, before Ladomon answered. "You're right. I can't give up here." The serpentine dragon uncoiled herself and, tail giving off a dim glow, flew off into the battle. Against the skeletal behemoth and the four tired warriors she looked incredibly small. She looked back into the undergrowth.

"Please Kai. Please come back. We need you..."

* * *

"Kai, wait!"

Kai barely even registered Colchimon's words as he powered on through the undergrowth. All he noticed was his heart beating so hard it felt like it was about to break out of his chest. Panicking, he felt twigs and branches brush past him.

Behind him, Colchimon was weaving through Kai's path with little difficulty. He tried to call his partner again, but Kai wasn't listening. Colchimon swallowed, "I'm sorry about this." He charged up energy for about a second.

"Paralysis Pulse!"

Before Kai could react, he felt a cold pressure in his lower back. All of a sudden he felt his energy vanish, and his legs suddenly ceased to work. He crashed to the ground, wincing at the impact. He rolled over onto his back as Colchimon flew up towards him.

"I'm sorry. I had no choice." Colchimon looked genuinely ashamed.

Kai tried to shuffle back, but he couldn't summon the energy. Colchimon landed beside his partner, "Kai, please! Stop running away. Everyone's in danger right now, you can't just abandon them like this."

"You don't understand." Kai's monotone had broken, and Colchimon heard the fear behind his partner's voice. "I can't fight with the others. Not properly. I can't explain it. I just can't join the fight. I'm not a part of the team."

"And what about me?" Colchimon was getting angry now. "Ladomon is back there right now, someone I've helped and been helped by ever since we hatched. She and Eloise are back there with everyone else, trying to protect themselves from whatever the Fire Kingdom's thrown at us this time."

Colchimon spread his wings. "We're as much a part of the team as anyone else, Kai. We're gonna have doubts, we're gonna have times when we're in danger, but we can't deal with it unless everyone works together. You've got to trust me." The dragon shrank back slightly. "You can't just leave them..."

Colchimon looked at his partner as Kai lay on the ground, his energy still low. Kai felt adamant. He couldn't get involved. His mind kept telling him to run, out of fear of...something? Someone? One thing he knew; he couldn't put the others at risk.

Yet, no matter how he tried to ignore them, he couldn't get their faces out of his head. Aaron, trying to stay strong for the group. Kent, always the logical thinker and planner. Grace, brave and determined as she was, and Jack, always keeping everyone's spirits up. Eloise, kind to everyone and helping where she could.

Colchimon was right. They had all looked to him as part of the team. He'd entered the Digital World with them, hadn't he? Hell, they'd all followed him into this mess. But deep down, he still had the gut feeling that this was a bad idea.

Very slowly, almost agonisingly so, Kai sat up, then got to his knees, then stood up, wobbling a little as he regained his energy. He looked at his partner, who was waiting for his choice.

Kai reached deep within his coat pocket and pulled out his D-Nexus. He felt the energy within it; cold and mysterious, almost as if he held a vessel of empty space.

Right now, he held one of the remaining Elements. He had to face his doubts and join the battle.

He gripped the device so tightly that his knuckles turned white beneath his gloves. "I'm sorry, Colchimon. I'm sorry for what I've done." His ice-blue eyes looked determinedly towards the growing plumes of smoke, and he began to run, his partner flying alongside him.

"I'm coming, everyone. Hang in there..."

* * *

The battle wasn't going well. The settlement had practically been destroyed as Champions and Ultimate tussled. SkullGreymon roared as he broke out of Alopemon's icy grip yet again. With fire in his eyes he spewed a grey mass of smoke and red-hot ash from its mouth, which burnt into the ground beneath Alopemon's feet, only just missing her. She let out a yelp as the hot mixture on the ground scalded her icy claws.

"Now that's just not fair!"

"You're right." Either side of the great skull beast, Seismon and Galvamon lifted their arms and charged their attacks, aiming for the great beating heart.

"Earth Cannon!"

"Strike Thunder!"

SkullGreymon shifted, and the attacks simply bounced off his hard ribcage. The joint impact sent him stumbling back for a second, but he simply brushed it off.

"Seismon! Try knocking him onto his back!" Kent was trying to shout out a strategy to his partner as he dodged the attacks still flying everywhere, but it was clear to all the humans present that their attacks weren't even making an impact. Despite having slowed the beast down a little, their own Digimon were much worse off than he was. Galvamon was limping, blood welling from a gash in his right leg. Alopemon had scorch marks over her body, and she had broken two of her power bracelets. Mistramon was scorched as well, his feathers blackened by the relentless attacks. Seismon had taken the biggest beating, with his armour chipped and cracked all over his body, a huge spit down his helmet-mask, and his spear lying in pieces a few feet away.

But at least they were still standing.

Eloise flinched as she saw her own partner get thrown into the undergrowth by the force of the titan. She shifted, trying to right herself, not giving up no matter how many times she was knocked down. Eloise could feel her D-Nexus going haywire as Ladomon's health dropped ever lower.

"Please stop! You'll get yourself killed!" Eloise was desperate. No matter what they tried, it was futile.

"I'm not giving up until I've been completely deleted." Ladomon gritted her teeth and flew straight towards the SkullGreymon, her tail glowing with as much energy as she could muster.

"Sun Spear!"

The laser flew straight and true into SkullGreymon's left eye. It didn't do much damage, but it was enough to make the dinosaur roar with the sudden pain. Acting on instinct, he swung his left arm out in a massive arc, his left claw covered in a fiery aura.

Ladomon, exhausted and badly beaten as she was, noticed the giant claw coming too late.

Eloise cried out, breaking the group and running towards the battlefield herself. "Eloise, stop!" cried Aaron, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

The claw connected. Eloise saw her partner's body fly towards her, gently spiralling through the air. Ladomon crashed into the ground in front of Eloise, her body unmoving.

Eloise felt the device in her hand stop vibrating. The health meter fell lower. And lower. Until it had all but reached the end.

All of a sudden, Colchimon burst out from behind the group, Kai only just behind him. With rage and desperation in his voice, Colchimon yelled out as he rocketed towards his fallen comrade.

"LADOMON!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." Kai ran past the rest of the group and straight towards Eloise, who was looking over Ladomon's broken form, tears running down her face. He stopped, completely lost for words. Colchimon hovered beside him, whispering "No..."

"Watch out!" Grace yelled out to the four as the rest of the group ran towards them. Eloise and Kai looked up as SkullGreymon marched towards them, murder in its eyes. "No you friggin' DON'T!" Mistramon flew straight into SkullGreymon's face, grabbing his skull with his talons and flying away from the waiting humans with all of his strength. SkullGreymon gnashed its teeth at the bird, but soon found itself pinned in place by the three other warriors, all counting on their last reserves of strength to halt the killing blow.

Ladomon held the tiny, limp form of her partner in her arms, Kai looking on helplessly. Eloise buried her head in Ladomon's soft wings, trying to find any signs of life.

"I wish I could fight with you. I may not know anything about Light, or the Elements, or anything in this stupid world. I just know how much you mean to me. Ever since I've got here, you've been there for me." Eloise gripped harder, "You can't die like this. Not now. Please, Ladomon! I need you!"

Something within Kai snapped. His calm and calculated demeanour shattered, he stood in front of the dinosaur, his D-Nexus held tightly in his trembling hand. With a cold eye he gazed up at the writhing SkullGreymon.

"You know, maybe I was scared. Maybe I just didn't want to put myself in danger. But I wasn't thinking, I was just pushing on with my own beliefs and conclusions because that's what my instinct was telling me."

Skullgreymon let out growl and shuffled forward a couple of paces. Kai had no idea whether or not the creature could understand him, but he carried on regardless.

"Because it isn't just about me. It's about all of us." He looked behind him, at the rest of the group listening intently. "All the remaining Elements, gathered together to fight against this tyranny." Behind him, Eloise lowered her partner to the ground, looking up at the Scottish boy as he stood against the behemoth.

Kai stepped forward, suddenly unwavering. "I don't care if I'm not powerful enough. As long as I'm holding this Element and I have my friends to back me up, I will do my damnedest to bring this tyranny to an end."

Kai felt a hand in his. He looked beside him and saw Eloise, her own D-Nexus in her hand. Her eyes were moist, but had the same determination on them as Kai felt inside him. Slowly, the rest of the group gathered around the two, holding firm against the leviathan before them. Mistramon lost his grip on the creature's skull, flailing as the massive teeth grazed his wing.

"We can't hold him anymore! You've got to get out of here!"

Aaron shook his head. "We're not backing down."

"As long as we're together, we still have the power."

"And even if we're not strong enough, we will fight to the end."

Kai looked into Eloise's jade-green eyes. She smiled, "Even if we're the last ones left in this world."

With a terrifying roar, SkullGreymon threw the Champion-levels off of him, sending them sprawling. He swung his arms back, preparing to strike down the row of humans in front of him. The Red Beast watched silently from the undergrowth. It all depended on this.

Eloise and Kai moved their arms as one, the energy within them growing, expanding. Eloise felt a sharp, pure feeling, like a feeling of new life. By contrast, Kai felt the cold, almost ethereal energy within him expanding.

As SkullGreymon lunged, they held out their D-Nexus's like a final shield.

"Primal Control!"

Twin bursts of energy flew from the two devices, sending SkullGreymon staggering back. Eloise felt her device begin to vibrate, as very slowly, Ladomon's health meter replenished itself from the depths of oblivion. Behind the group, Colchimon felt himself being enveloped in a light that seemed to glow black, giving him an energy unlike anything he had ever felt. Looking at Ladomon, he saw her form overcome as well, by a brilliant white energy that spiralled around her.

Slowly, the two orbs floated in between warriors and monster, with sparks of white and black energy spiralling through the air all around them. From within her orb, Ladomon felt Colchimon's presence, and Colchimon hers. They may have held separate elements, but throughout everything they had been through, they were prepared to go forward together.

"Evolution Activate!"

The orbs expanded, more brilliantly than anything any of the children had ever seen. The two very similar forms grew into two very different ones.

Ladomon extended and her body bulked out, her wings expanding greatly. Below her wings grew two muscular legs, with talons similar to those of Mistramon. The golden bands covering her body shone brilliantly as they expanded to cover her head, spine and the edges of her wings in beautiful, ornate armour. The blade at the end of her tail retracted, and in its place formed a golden halberd, with spikes running through it like rays of light from the sun. The blue gem in the middle of her forehead glowed as her face became more draconic.

Colchimon didn't grow as bulky as his comrade, but his wings expanded far beyond hers and his tail extended far longer. The skin of his wings retracted, leaving thin, almost skeletal sails in their place. Two arms extended from just below his wings, ending in long, grasping fingers and wicked black talons. His bladed tail rotated to form a spiked scythe, similar to a crescent moon, and his dark markings gained a shine, very like that of obsidian. His frill morphed into a bird-like helmet, with spikes that came down like teeth, and his purple gem deepened in colour.

As the black and white began to disperse, the dragons were revealed; a white wyvern and a black wyrm hovering in place in front of SkullGreymon. They opened their eyes simultaneously, and prepared themselves for the attack.

"Luminemon!"

"Achromon!"

SkullGreymon lunged at the two, but they flew up into the air, smoothly and gracefully. As Luminemon turned, the holes in her wings and over her armour began to glow.

"White Lightning!"

Tendrils of light shot from her body, wrapping around the mighty dinosaur. SkullGreymon tried to resist, but the tendrils burned and cut into his bone, holding him tightly. He snapped at Luminemon as she flew over his head, before slowly beginning to pull apart the noose. Luminemon gritted her teeth as she tried to keep the leviathan in place.

"Achromon, I could use a little help."

Achromon hovered down in front of the dinosaur, his own wings covered in a dark aura, "What say we turn up the heat a little more."

He threw back his wings with a cry of "Darkfire Pulse!" Blades of dark energy slashed into SkullGreymon's body, smothering him even more. Being mostly bone, SkullGreymon felt no pain, but the attacks slamming into him was beginning to drain his energy. Achromon, perhaps overconfidently, flew up to the dinosaur's face and swung his bladed tail, embedding it in his forehead. The serpent-dragon looked deep into the monster's great green eye.

"Not even you can hold out forever."

SkullGreymon responded with a blast of molten slag from his mouth, which caught Achromon by surprise. He managed to evade it, but a bit caught the edge of his left wing, beginning to burn the flesh. Achromon winced and flicked it off, giving the dinosaur a death-glare.

In the undergrowth, the Red Beast looked on with curiosity.

"Well, you have learnt quickly, haven't you." He mused to himself. "But can you take it all the way?"

A silent order passed between Commander and monster. All of a sudden SkullGreymon stopped struggling against the bindings that held him, and instead crouched low to the ground. He tilted his body forward, revealing the great organic mass on his back. From somewhere, deep within his bony body, a rumbling started up.

Eloise looked to Kai. "Um...if that thing fires, how much trouble are we in?"

Kai had his head down, staring darkly at the monster. "I don't particularly want to find out."

Kent yelled out. "Everyone, you need to stop him firing that missile!"

SkullGreymon had the weapon pointed at the ground. He didn't seem to be aiming at anyone in particular; perhaps he was confident in the weapon's power. His jaw pulled back in a strange grimace as he prepared to fire. Form deep within his throat, a vague, gargling sound could be heard, the vestiges of a long-lost intelligence.

"_Dark...Sho-"_

"No!" From seemingly out of nowhere, Galvamon leapt straight onto SkullGreymon's head. The giant was distracted and he began to shake his head back and forth, before a glowing green missile impacted directly with his sternum, exploding with enough force to crack his ribcage.

Galvamon twisted round and gave Seismon a glare. "Will you watch where you're firing that thing?"

Seismon merely gave a small bow in response, before falling back to the ground, his energy virtually gone. Alopemon and Mistramon were still willing to fight though, and five Champion level Digimon surrounded the Ultimate level once again. Galvamon, holding onto SkullGreymon's head with his feet, charged up his claws before sticking it straight down the back of his neck.

"Strike Thunder!"

The intense beam shocked SkullGreymon to his core, making him sway. Galvamon leapt off, before he heard a strange sound. Mistramon looked worriedly at the giant missile on SkullGreymon's back, which had begun to vibrate and let off an eerie wailing.

"Maybe you shouldn't have done that, genius."

Alopemon was on the case immediately, "Icicle Barrage!" The missiles of ice impacted all over the missile, sealing it in a thick ice layer and cooling it down. She landed next to Grace, who smiled at her. "Nice one."

Kent raised his eyebrow. "Will that have worked?"

Nobody needed to answer, since the missile exploded in SkullGreymon's back. Cushioned as it was by the ice and bone surrounding it, no major damage was caused, however the shockwave was still enough to knock back everyone in the surrounding area. SkullGreymon on the other hand was ripped apart from the inside, his bones splintering and flying off in every direction, disintegrating into data as they landed.

Free from the burden of the missile, the now very broken but still savage and dangerous Digimon bared his claws, roaring at the group. Luminemon yelled, "I don't think so!" as she cannoned into his chest, the impact breaking his sternum fully, revealing the beating heart beneath. SkullGreymon tried to retaliate, but the two dragons kept slashing and swiping at him, edging him back inch by inch. Suddenly, they turned as one, facing him directly.

"Photon Cannon!" shouted Luminemon, as triple beams of light shot from her eyes, spiralling and twisting into a powerful blast.

"Abyssal Beam!" yelled Achromon, as he opened his mouth and let out a jet-black blast of pure shadow.

The twin attacks hit SkullGreymon dead in the chest, and the great creature threw its head back and roared in pain for the first time in its life. The group watched on, rooting for their partners, but horrified at the same time. All except for one of them. Kai clenched his fist, "Finish him. Finish him now."

SkullGreymon gently swayed, like a building about to collapse. Achromon looked back at his partner, who merely nodded, his teeth gritted and his eyes seeming to glow with a strange light. The dragon charged forward and rammed the dinosaur in the chest, causing him to fall over backwards like a pile of sticks. Achromon hovered gently above the broken body as Luminemon joined him.

"Do you think it knew what it was doing?"

Achromon looked almost solemn. "I don't know. The Fire Kingdom will have their sick ways."

He raised his arm, his claw prepared to strike. SkullGreymon's one remaining eye watched them intently.

"At least I can end it quickly."

Achromon brought his claw down, impaling SkullGreymon in the heart. The heart shattered into data bits, with the rest of SkullGreymon following quickly, disintegrating from the inside out. Achromon looked at his claw, SkullGreymon's reddish-purple blood dripping off it. He clenched his fist, absorbing the last bits of data.

* * *

Within the undergrowth, the Red Beast licked his lips. That had certainly been...interesting. He turned tail and walked away, the beads of his rosary circling his body like miniature planets. Sure, he may have lost one of the Fire Kingdom's most feared Digimon. There were always other means to an end. And this time he'd gotten a good look at how the group worked, and where they fell down.

He'd noticed a couple of things. A couple of things which, cunning as he was, he might just be able to work to his advantage. The Red Beast smiled, his teeth showing in an animal grin.

He knew it wasn't professional to think this way, but...this was going to be fun...

* * *

One by one, the six Champion level Digimon got up and brushed themselves down, finally able to relax. Achromon and Luminemon floated down to where Eloise and Kai still stood, trying to catch their breath after the hectic battle. Eloise threw her arms around her partner, "I'm so happy you're okay."

Luminemon chuckled, and wrapped her own wing around her partner. "I told you, didn't I? I'm not giving up." The two embraced tightly. "I could never give up on you. Just like you didn't give up on me."

Kai looked down at his feet. He couldn't help but blush, remembering how Eloise had grabbed his hand back there. So many emotions were going round his head that he wasn't sure quite what to think. Achromon patted him on the shoulder, "Cheer up, mate. We won, didn't we?"

Kai looked up, and saw his partner before him. Achromon smiled beneath his helmet, looking almost amiable for such a fearsome creature. He was right. Despite everything, everyone had won through the day.

The corners of Kai's mouth began to curve up a little. Then a little more. Suddenly, Kai was grinning like a Cheshire cat, genuinely happy for the first time since they'd got here. Eloise let go of her partner as she heard Achromon burst into laughter.

Jack gave Kai an odd look. "You look really weird when you grin like that."

Jack's comment just made Kai smile even more. Eloise walked over to him. "I don't know. I think it suits you." She leaned in a little closer. "You should do it more often."

Kai's grin shrank away as his face grew ever more scarlet. "I...I...I mean...I don't mean to be..." Realising the hopeless situation, Kai gave up trying to form sentences, and simply tried to regain his cool composure.

Kent and Aaron chuckled to themselves. Suddenly, Galvamon nudged Aaron, "Um, this may be a bad time, but don't we have a problem about staying here?"

Aaron looked around at the destroyed settlement. The structures had been ravaged, great holes had been gouged out of the ground and there were great scorch marks everywhere.

Galvamon carried on. "It's not exactly safe here anymore. Not if the Fire Kingdom know where we are now."

Aaron sighed. "It's not exactly safe anywhere anymore, is it? I expect we'll be in deep shtook wherever we decide to set up."

Kent looked at the younger boy. "What do you think? We'll work with you no matter what."

The sun began to set over the horizon, casting shadows over the clearing and bathing everything in a beautiful orange light. Aaron looked around at the rest of the group. "I just want to keep everyone safe."

"I'd say you're doing a good job." Seismon hobbled over to them, using half of his spear to support his weight (he was still very battered from before). "Don't forget though, it's our duty to protect you all as well."

"That's right." Mistramon swept his head to the side, his head feathers swinging out dramatically. "Personally I think WE'RE doing a very good job."

"Way to be modest." said Luminemon under her breath.

Aaron thought about it. "You know what? We can make this work." He turned to his partner, who had his arms folded. "Sorry Galvamon. We'll stay here for the time being."

Galvamon humphed. "Suit yourself."

"Oh, lighten up a little." Achromon punched the semi-humanoid lizard in the arm, causing Galvamon to glare at him. Achromon raised his hands in defense, "Sorry."

He carried on, "But seriously, look at us. Six kids who only came here two nights ago, and the six of us who got lucky when we were being hunted down by the Commanders. Now look at us. Look how far we've come already."

Galvamon did have to admit, all six of them as Champions did look pretty cool.

Grace and Jack nodded optimistically. "We can deal with whatever comes at us."

Galvamon unfolded his arms. "Well...maybe things are starting to go our way after all."

Kai looked at Eloise beside him. She smiled, and he smiled back. Looking up into the deep orange sky, he whispered to himself.

"Perhaps they are..."


	8. Episode 8: The Creation Program

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 8: The Creation Program

* * *

After the SkullGreymon incident, there had been no more outbursts or sudden attacks, and the group began to settle in. With nothing much to do except train and rest, they decided to fix up the settlement, allowing everyone to get to know each other a little more.

However, that didn't always mean that everyone always got on.

* * *

"Don't you push it through now?"

"No, you loop it round again."

"There isn't enough to loop it round again."

"That's because the knot's too loose. If you actually took care with it then you'd have plenty spare."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Perimon dropped the end of the rope he had been carrying, making the little wooden tripod gently slide apart. Grace sighed, seeing her handiwork fall apart for the second time now.

Velocimon, being incredibly encouraging as usual, planted his face in his palm. "You idiot, now we need to start again."

"Guys, it's fine. Just let me handle it, okay?"

Grace's remark fell on deaf ears as the bird and the dinosaurs were at each others' throats yet again.

Velocimon folded his arms. "You know, perhaps this whole thing would run much smoother if you'd take a little more care now and again."

"Go zap yourself, lizard boy. You're no help either."

"Oh really? Well –"

The two were interrupted by a blast of ice falling over them, freezing them mid-argument. Vulpimon didn't even bother to get up, she just glared at the two. "Look, some of us are trying to get some shuteye. It's too hot to listen to you two bicker, so either do it somewhere else or shut up, okay?"

Grace carried on with her rope-work. She was almost used to these kind of situations now.

The bird and the dinosaur grimly nodded as they quickly thawed out. Velocimon shrugged, "I ought to go and see how Aaron's doing, I suppose."

The two left, leaving Grace alone with the tepee, her partner stretched out nearby. Grace finished the lashing, before standing up and stretching.

"Hi Grace. Oh, you trying to get another tent up?"

Grace turned to see Eloise, Ladomon flitting excitedly beside her. They'd obviously been off doing some training. Ladomon had been a little delicate after SkullGreymon had nearly killed her, so Kai had suggested to the whole group that that ought to work with their partners and toughen up a bit more. Ladomon had been improving, but that didn't stop Eloise from worrying about her. Who could say how powerful their next assailant would be, when it eventually came?

Grace nodded. "Velocimon and Perimon weren't having much luck, so I decided to step in and help. Then Vulpimon froze them and they ran away."

Eloise raised an eyebrow at the fox. "Oh really?"

Vulpimon opened an eye. "Tell me they didn't deserve it."

Eloise giggled. "I just wish I'd been around to see it." She knelt down beside the poles. "Come on, let's get this thing up properly."

With a little effort the two girls got the tripod standing, and soon set to work tying on the supports near the base. Eloise watched the younger girl with interest.

"You're really good at that, you know."

Grace smiled back. "Thanks. I'm in the Scouts, they teach us kind of stuff."

"I tried Guides once." Eloise looked down at her own knot, which, while not as neat as Grace's, was still workable. "Never thought much of it. Too many rules and uniform stuff. I get enough of that from school."

Grace let out a chuckle. "I guess I know what you mean. My friend Lizzie always comes in with her scarf bunched up, and she gets shouted at every week."

"See, I told you!" Eloise smirked, then looked up at the younger girl. Grace was looking down at her own, very well-tied knot. She closed her eyes, her expression very solemn.

Eloise put her own rope down and shimmied round. "What's wrong? Do you miss her?"

Grace nodded. "Lizzie, Kayley, Jade. Mum and Dad. Ross, our dog." Kneeling back, Grace looked all around her. "They're probably worried sick about me and Jack right now."

Eloise thought back to her own family. They seemed so distant, so far away. Now that the group actually had a chance to settle down, it had really began to sink in that they were trapped in a dangerous new world, far from any semblance of home. Everyone had seemed to become more serious, it had seemed.

"I miss mine too." Eloise sat back, "I wish there was some way I could talk to them, or at least let them know I'm okay."

Ladomon and Vulpimon, listening to the conversation, exchanged looks.

Grace, feeling a tear forming, quickly wiped it away with her sleeve, not wanting to let Eloise see. She looked into the older girl's eyes. "It's not all bad. I mean, I got to know you guys, and Vulpimon. And I think I've gotten stronger here. We'll certainly have something to talk about when we get back home."

She forced a smile, before she turned serious again. "Right?"

"That's right." Eloise nodded, feeling completely unsure. What if they did end up being trapped here forever? Even if they won?

She smiled. "We'll be back home before you know it. When we are, be sure to keep in touch, okay?"

"Sure. I don't have Facebook though." Grace looked a little embarassed. "My parents don't let me use it."

"I'm sure we'll work something out."

The two girls stood up and admired their wooden masterpiece. Eloise blew her hair out of her eyes.

"Get a tarpaulin on that and we'll be done. No more nights of being rained on."

* * *

"Watch out!"

Trilomon yelled and dived to the side as Colchimon's bladed tail swung down, digging into the ground. He rolled into a ball, swerving round and heading back towards the dragon.

"Rolling Blade!" he called as he launched himself upwards. Colchimon saw it coming and moved, but the rolling ball of armour just caught his wing, knocking him off balance. Kent saw an opportunity, calling out to his partner.

"Trilomon, now. He's open."

"Not quite." Kai was leant against the tree, giving the occasional instruction to his draconic partner. In truth, Colchimon was doing rather well on own. His tail was glowing with black energy as he swung it around at the insect again, but Trilomon was already behind him. The insect's foreclaws extended with a cry of "Shell Sword!", and he lunged forward, aiming for Colchimon's wings. He struck true for one of them, bringing the dragon down onto his back, but Colchimon only smirked. "Good try, young one."

"You shouldn't be making jokes when you're about to be killed, you imbecile!" Trilomon raised his claw, aiming for Colchimon's chest.

Colchimon's smile didn't waver. "Goes for you too. Paralysis Pulse!"

Trilomon's claw struck a sphere of darkness, which exploded in his face. He forced himself, trying to stay mobile, but the shadowy power had drained his energy, nearly making him collapse. He was used to this feeling; after all he'd felt it plenty of times over the last week, but he still hadn't quite overcome it. With an exasperated click, he rolled over onto his side. Colchimon wriggled away and hovered above the downed insect, his tail glowing black.

"Shadow Blade!"

Trilomon didn't flinch as the weapon flew down towards his exposed chest. It stopped just before impact, powering down, before tapping his armoured body with a dull click. Colchimon smiled. "You're it."

"Damnit, Colchimon!" Trilomon wriggled around and got to his feet, quickly recovering from the dragon's attack. "I still think using that move's cheating."

Colchimon shrugged. "You never know, one of our many enemies might do the same thing one day. And they won't stop before the final blow, either."

Trilomon looked dejected, but his partner walked over. "Don't worry, Trilomon. You're doing great." He knelt down beside the little insect, stroking the top of his head.

"Yeah, not bad."

Kent, Kai and their Digimon turned to see Velocimon and Aaron enter the clearing. Velocimon was applauding the two, "Keep this up and we'll be able to fight off anything without even evolving."

Colchimon chuckled. "Within reason. Anything up to a Guilmon, perhaps."

"We'll see."

Aaron looked at the two older boys. "Are you two going for another round, or are you okay for us to join in?"

Kai looked at his partner. "What do you think?"

Colchimon grinned fiercely. "I'm up for another round."

Trilomon looked at his partner enquiringly. Kent shook his head, "Actually, there was something I wanted to check out. Trilomon, would you be okay coming with me?"

Trilomon nodded. "Sure, what is it you're checking out?"

"Well, maybe something that can help us besides all this training."

Aaron put his hands in his pockets, nodding. "Fair enough. Have fun."

"You too." Kent smiled back as he headed away from the clearing, partner scuttling beside him.

Aaron and Kai were left in the clearing, with their partners squaring up for another tussle.

Colchimon grinned at the dinosaur. "You feeling lucky?"

Velocimon grinned back. "Just bring it."

* * *

"So what's this about?" Trilomon lay down next to his partner as the boy leant against a tree, taking out his laptop and booting it up. "You said you'd found something that can help us?"

"I'll show you in a minute." Kent rested his head back. "Do you really think the training's going to pay off?"

Trilomon nodded. "Sure it will. I already feel stronger." As if to prove a point he arched his back, the movement making his armour click multiple times.

Kent smiled. "Fair enough. It's just..."

"What?"

"How much more powerful are our enemies going to get? I mean, you remember SkullGreymon, don't you?"

Trilomon hunched at the memory. He could still feel the severe beating he'd received by the boned menace.

"It's just, no matter how much we try to prepare, the next battle could be deadly." Kent kept his eyes on his screen, trying not to make eye contact with his partner. Trilomon tilted his head, surprised by Kent's response.

"You know, it's almost as if you're worried about me."

Kent's normally olive skin turned a definite shade of crimson. "I mean...what I'm saying is..." He swallowed his pride. "Of course I worry. I just don't want you to get hurt. I mean, for the team's sake, and..."

Trilomon nodded, playing along. He could tell when his partner was trying to hide his feelings.

"Ah, we're up!"

The subject was hurriedly changed as Kent began typing, eyes never leaving the screen. He got out his D-Nexus and, with the help of a USB cable (which he kept in his case) connected the two devices.

"I've been working on this for a little while. You know this world's made entirely out of data, don't you?"

Trilomon looked incredulous. "No, but do tell me more about it."

"Never mind, sarky." Kent tapped a few more keys and pressed Enter. "Okay, take a look at the tree behind you."

Trilomon twisted round and looked. The tree seemed to be flickering slightly, as if covered in a staticky fog. Trilomon was shocked, "Um...what are you doing?"

"I've hacked into the base code of the tree, using my D-Nexus to transform the physical data from the world into computer language. Or, whatever the equivalent is here."

"Ookay...what _exactly_ have you done?"

Kent sighed. "I thought you were supposed to know about the workings of the Digital World." He shook his head in mock disappointment. "Basically, everything that makes up that tree is currently on my computer. So, if I twiddle a couple of the numbers..."

Trilomon watched in awe as the tree slowly shortened, turning a rather fetching shade of lilac while it did so. It stopped when it was about his height. Kent tapped Enter and exited the program, making the fog disappear from around the tree.

"Go ahead, touch it."

Trilomon walked all around the tree, poking and prodding it with his claws. It still seemed to be exactly the same tree that it had been before, just a different size and hue. The insect was impressed, "That is incredible."

Kent shrugged. "Really, that was simple stuff. I haven't touched any of the really heavy code yet."

Trilomon walked back to his partner. "So, let me get this straight. You think you might be able to give us more power by hacking into our code and changing our data?"

Kent looked into his partner's emerald-green eyes. "That was my theory. But I have a feeling it won't be that simple."

"It'll probably be incredibly dangerous. One false move and who knows what'll happen."

"That's what I thought." Kent leant back. "I want to give you more power, but I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to."

"I never said I didn't want to."

Kent looked down with surprise. "What?"

Trilomon shrugged. "I'm just as interested as you are in how this'll work. I don't mind being a test dummy; it's for a good cause after all." His voice was almost as excited as a child's on his birthday.

Kent had not expected this level of co-operation. "Okay, wow, thanks. That would really help." He looked back at the screen though. "However I'm _not_ going into your code directly."

Trilomon thought this over. "Probably a good idea. Maybe you could make a copy?"

"Could do, I suppose..." Kent thought this over. "Okay, at least there's a possibility this'll work." He closed the laptop and slipped it with the cable back into its case. "I think I should probably tell the others first, before I do anything drastic."

He muttered under his breath. "After all, we've had enough drastic moves the past week."

Trilomon pointed his claw, "Okay, shall we go?"

"Sure." Kent walked away from the little clearing with his partner. Just before, he stopped and turned. There was something slightly off. For just a second he thought he saw a haze or something. He couldn't quite place what it was.

"Kent?"

"Coming." Kent ignored whatever it was and carried on after his partner.

* * *

_Away._

* * *

Kent hadn't been quite sure what to expect when he brought his discovery before the assembled group. Perhaps they'd tell him to stop being ridiculous, or maybe they'd be afraid to try this thing.

In fact, everybody just looked all the more confused the more he tried to explain it. In fairness he'd probably lost them at the "I can hack into trees" part. Trilomon took over and was able to describe Kent's idea in a way that made _some_ sort of sense, although Jack and Perimon were still left scratching their heads a little.

Eloise unfolded her arms. "So, in essence, you're giving our Digimon extra batteries?"

At this all the Digimon turned round and gave her slightly offended looks. She raised her hands in defense, "Sorry, but I didn't know how else to put it."

Kent waved his hand, "You're sort of right. To be honest I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing yet. I really need to see what the Digimon are made up from, but..." He noticed the series of faces in front of him looking very uncomfortable. He sighed. "You see the issue."

"It could be more than issue if it goes wrong, Kent." Aaron looked seriously at Kent, who had his laptop out, lines of code running down the screen.

Trilomon chipped in. "We did kind of think that maybe he could, um..." He trailed off, seeing Velocimon's stern gaze upon him. The insect hunched up, unable to carry on.

"Did you both agree to this, or are you only doing this because Kent wants to?"

Trilomon was hurt. He stood up taller, "Hey, it's not l-l-like that!"

Velocimon was about to respond when Perimon nudged him. "Dude, enough." For once the bird was serious; he wasn't a fan of Velocimon's intimidation tactics. "At least let him say what he was going to."

The bird looked towards the insect, who, after stuttering a little, started again. "We thought that if Kent could copy my data, then I wouldn't be hurt if he did something wrong."

"What, make some kind of crash test Digimon?"

"It's not a good move." Velocimon was adamant. "So much stuff could go wrong here. How could we even deal with two Trilomons walking around? What if they're linked? How do you suppose we do it anyway?"

Kent lowered his laptop lid and glared at Velocimon. "_That's_ why I was asking you guys first. I don't _actually_ want to hurt my partner." He said the "actually" a little more spitefully than he meant to.

Velocimon noted his tone, but remained firm. "Well, just don't do it, okay."

"Hold on..."

Velocimon let out a "Gaah!" as he turned to his partner, who had spoken. "Please don't tell me you're actually considering this?"

Aaron looked at his partner. "Um, yes? It's a valid suggestion, and I don't think we should dismiss it just because you don't like it."

"I'm a Digimon, Aaron. With all respect, I've been here longer than you. In my experience, it's never a good thing when people mess around with the workings of the Digital World."

"Okay, what do the others think?" Aaron turned and looked at the other partner Digimon. Ladomon hid behind Eloise, "I don't want anything to do with this, okay?"

Velocimon swung out his arm. "Admit it, this thing makes you all feel on edge, doesn't it? It's a bad idea."

Perimon scratched his head, looking uneasy. "Look, Velocimon, it's a huge risk, but it might actually be a lot of help. It feels weird, but I'll go with it."

Velocimon's jaw dropped as Colchimon and Vulpimon nodded their reluctant approval as well. Even Ladomon nodded from behind Eloise. With an exasperated yell, Velocimon kicked the dust cloud and stormed off into one of the tents. He turned just before he did so, pointing at his partner. "If this cocks everything up, I'm blaming you." The flap closed behind him.

Jack looked up at Aaron. "Why does everyone always walk off like that when you argue?"

Aaron had his head in his hands. "Well, at least we know where he is."

Kai stepped forward, hands in his pockets. "Do you think you'd get a reasonable practise run out of something that isn't alive, but was still part of a Digimon?"

Kent looked surprised. "I...guess so, I think. It would be better than trees."

Eloise tilted her head, "Where are you going with this, Kai?"

Kai turned. "The mask, remember? Surely it belonged to a Digimon once; maybe it even has the same data?"

Kent started nodding. "That's actually a good suggestion. It would certainly help before I do anything to Trilomon."

"I'll fetch it," said Eloise, heading off towards her own tent. Kent stood up, "Sorry if this is kind of an awkward plan."

Aaron shrugged. "It's so out of left field it might just work." He looked seriously at the older boy for a moment, "Just to make sure, don't do any other coding stuff on your own again. If something goes wrong, you might need some backup."

"Fair enough."

"Thanks." Aaron sighed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to calm a dinosaur down from his temper tantrum."

Aaron and Kent both trudged off, leaving the two youngest members standing around in the middle of the settlement. Jack leaned in towards his sister, whispering "I still don't know what's going on."

* * *

Seeing as the sun was going down, the group decided to stave off testing the code until the next morning. After all, it would be easier for most of the Digimon to fight if they could see what they were doing. With nothing to do, Velocimon suggested more training ("just in case it goes wrong, which it will" as he put it.)

Unsurprisingly, Jack's idea of getting together round a campfire was the more popular choice. So it was, late into the evening, that the six humans and their Digimon partners sat round a steadily burning pile of logs (reluctantly ignited by Velocimon, after a few kind words from Aaron and a few more persuasive words from the other Digimon)

Grace yawned, legs crossed and hands drawing lines in the dust beneath her. "I don't suppose anyone has any sausages."

At the mention of sausages Jack stopped poking the fire with the stick he was holding and started paying attention. "Where?"

Kai chuckled. "Unlucky, soldier. I doubt they sell them this far out."

Vulpimon looked unsure. She glanced towards Ladomon, "Do they?"

"Umm...maybe? Although it would be in one of the cities if they did." Ladomon adjusted her position, leaning in closer to Colchimon as the light from the fire flickered in her eyes.

Kent, listening in with intrigue, sighed. "You know, I'm not sure I'll ever get this world. Everything's just so...unexpected. I can almost believe you'd have sausages growing on trees somewhere."

"Just you wait till you meet the Burgermon," said Trilomon.

"Burger...mon?" Kent looked down at his partner incredulously. "Tell me you're joking."

Trilomon shook his head, along with all the other partners. Jack immediately fell about laughing, Aaron and Eloise joining in. Even Grace started giggling under her breath. Kent was getting flustered, "What? I mean...how...how does that even work? How does that make any kind of sense at all?"

Aaron nudged the older boy. "I think that's the point."

Kent slumped. "I give up."

"You know, it's funny," said Eloise. "I mean, sausages or burgers would be nice, but I really don't feel hungry, and I don't think we've eaten in days."

"That makes sense." Trilomon sat up a little, causing Perimon to roll his eyes at another one of 'the swotty bug's science lectures'.

"You're data now; you're integrated more into this world than you were in the real world. It's like how you can heal quicker here; you just don't need to take in energy. Therefore eating and sleeping aren't as important. Get it?"

Half of the assembled crowd looked among themselves, not getting it at all. Trilomon lowered his head again. "Never mind."

"This sure is a crazy place," said Eloise, leaning back on her palms and gazing up towards the night sky; at the three moons, countless stars and sweeping auroras spread across it like some sort of elaborate oil painting.

Jack nodded. "Sure, it's crazy, but it's awesome, isn't it?"

"You haven't seen the half of it yet." Velocimon leant back himself, finally a little more relaxed.

"What kind of other places are there here?"

"Oh, too many to count." The others shuffled forward as Velocimon started reminiscing. "My home, Grid Central City, for one. Absolutely stunning at night, when all the lights were lit." He looked away, distracted. "I wonder if there's anything left..."

"Yeah, yeah, you were posh and got a city." remarked Perimon, waving his wing dismissively. "My home was on top of a mountain, in a glorious canyon."

Velocimon was a little irritated at having his former home slated. "Yeah, well, canyons are boring." He retorted.

"Canyons are not boring!"

Grace smiled at the bird, "No offense, but I'm kind of fed up of canyons already." Her answer was mirrored by all the surrounding humans.

Perimon snorted. "Well, pardon me if you have no taste in decor."

"You want decor?" Vulpimon swung her head in a regal fashion, speaking to the group in a faux-posh voice. "I was brought up in the finest and most exquisite palace in the entire Digital World, the Citadel of Ice."

"Show-off."

"Who said that?" Vulpimon glared at Colchimon, who winked. The fox relented and winked back, before asking, "Hang on, wouldn't you two have been born in the Light and Darkness regions? I've heard they're supposed to be rather spectacular."

Ladomon shook her head with just a hint of sadness. "Actually, we've never been. We were hatched together in a shop in Silicon City. We've never been to our ancestral regions."

"Silicon City?" Vulpimon nodded her head approvingly, "That's still rather impressive. It's a grand fortress from what I've heard."

"The last great stronghold against the Fire Kingdom, and the centre of the Digital World." Velocimon considered for a moment. "You know, we might actually pass through it on the way to the Fire Kingdom Capital." He looked at Aaron, "We can take you guys on a tour."

Aaron grinned, "Sounds great."

Trilomon looked up at the leader, "Surely you all came from a very majestic home in the real world."

The humans all let out a laugh at once. Kai shook his head, "Yeah, no. We come from Southampton. It's not exactly comparable with ice palaces and mighty fortresses."

Eloise sighed, resting her head on her right hand. "At least it was home. You know, running water, beds, fridges and all that stuff."

All the humans stared into the slowly shrinking flames, memories of their home lives coming back to them, both pleasant and painful. Grace looked to her right at her brother, crouched up and staring into nothing.

"How's your knee?"

"Fine." Jack barely moved when he responded. "I miss comfy stuff."

"Me too."

"I think we all do." Eloise looked around her. "Come on, guys. It's not the end of the world yet. We'll get back again."

Jack sat up, grinning like a maniac. "I'm not ready to go back yet. We've still got Cephalomon's big metal face to kick."

Velocimon huffed a little. "Well, that, and more...Ow!" He glared at his partner, rubbing his arm where he'd been pinched. Aaron stuck out his bottom lip. "Aw, come on. Let the kid have a little fun."

The fire was very dim now. Kai yawned and stood up. "It's been great, guys, but I think I'm headed off for the night." He slowly walked away, the others watching him go.

Grace nodded at her brother and the two stood up themselves. "Us too. After all, we're very busy tomorrow."

"Oh, come on, we're only rewriting the laws of space and time. Nothing too strenuous." Kent winked at the boy as Jack began to laugh.

One by one, the humans and their partners walked away to their separate tents, roosts or simple patches of ground. In the end, only Ladomon, Colchimon, Eloise and Aaron were left by the campfire as it slowly died away.

On impulse, Aaron raised his arm to check his watch, only realising again that it wasn't on his wrist. There was only that bloody elastic band that he'd forgotten about since he'd come here. He slipped it off his wrist and began to fiddle with it, still thinking back to home. How long had they been gone for, anyway? Surely there were posters out for them now and everything. Six people disappearing at the same time; that would surely make the news, wouldn't it?

Aaron almost wished that he'd never decided to stay. As wonderful as it was here and as great as it had been to get to know the others, he knew they were all in ever more danger the longer they stayed. One false move, and their parents would never see them again.

He shook his head frantically, trying to get that outcome out of his head. Beside him, Eloise put her hand on his shoulder. Aaron looked at her, and she smiled, a gentle smile of encouragement.

Aaron stared at the band for a couple more seconds. Then he slipped it over his wrist again and stood up, stretching. He didn't care what the time was any more; he just needed some sleep.

"Goodnight, Eloise. And thanks."

Eloise stood up herself. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."

"I hope so." Aaron looked down at the two dragons, "Colchimon, can you put out the fire please?"

The shadow-dragon nodded, and Eloise and Aaron went to their separate tents. Ladomon briefly buried her head in Colchimon's wings. The larger Digimon held her for a couple of seconds, feelings of empathy and uncertainty passing between them. Then they uncoiled, and, with a noise barely more than a whisper, Colchimon swept his wings over the dying flames, obscuring it completely in shadow.

* * *

Sometimes it's good to have an alarm call. But some alarm calls tend to be better than others.

Perimon was sat atop one of the trees, gently clucking in his sleep, when all of a sudden a breeze blew over him. He mumbled and buried his head deeper into his body, but for some reason he couldn't get the incessant whining noise out of his head. Eventually he could take no more, whirling his head round to snap at whoever was making it.

He did not expect to see a blue flying metal monster hovering just over his head.

"Crap!" Perimon stumbled in an effort to get away, while the monster flew a little higher, saying "Wait, just a minute..."

Too late. The falcon tumbled out through the treetops and spiralled towards the ground. He tried to right himself, but before he knew it he landed in an undignified heap.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLAYING AT, YOU MANIAC?"

This outburst evidently got everyone's attention, as they all tumbled out of their respective tents and roosts to be met with the scene before them. Seeing the great blue beast, half the human partners fumbled around for their D-Nexus's, and Perimon himself stood up and started yelling insults at the creature, calling to his still half-asleep partner to power him up.

Grace stepped forward, "Hang on, everyone. It's Pteramon."

Everybody took a second glance, and hesitantly lowered their D-Nexus's. Kai and Kent still held on tightly, still not too trusting of the thing that had attacked them before.

Pteramon skilfully flew forwards and gently lowered himself down onto the ground, keeping himself steady with jets from the undersides of his wings. There was a small shockwave as he landed, and he folded his wings up and raised himself up to his full height.

"Sorry I startled you guys. I just thought I ought to drop by."

Kai folded his arms. "You know, you are supposed to be helping us, you could have come a little earlier. Ow!" he finished as Eloise elbowed him.

Pteramon's good eye blinked, and he angled his head towards Aaron. "I'm guessing something's happened."

"Just a couple of annoyingly persistent monsters." Aaron shrugged. "Don't worry yourself, we're fine."

"Still, I feel bad I wasn't there." Pteramon adjusted himself a little. "I found some Fire Kingdom soldiers and tracked them for a few days. Didn't really lead anywhere though, so I thought I'd find you guys again."

Grace looked up at the dinosaur. "Are you going to be staying?"

"I can't." Pteramon opened his wings a little, "It's dangerous for me to stay on the ground too long."

"Then how do we contact you if we need you?"

Pteramon nodded towards her. "You should be able to use your D-Nexus. Just go to my information and try and make a mental link with me; I'll hear it."

Grace looked confused. Kent fiddled around with his own device, speaking into it, "Like this?"

Pteramon nodded. "You'll get the hang of it, I'm sure. Those things are pretty useful."

Perimon, brushing himself off, marched in front of the giant blue beast. "Look, it's all very nice of you to come visit, but are you here for a reason or what?"

Pteramon snorted incredulously. Then he calmed down, perhaps remembering that he wasn't in everybody's best books at the moment. "Actually, there's something you should probably know."

He shuffled again, not quite able to get comfortable while standing on the ground. "As I said, I was following some Fire Kingdom soldiers on the edge of the forest, and I found an encampment. I couldn't do that much against so many forces, but they didn't seem to be searching for you." Pteramon blinked his good eye. "In fact, they seemed to be waiting for something."

The children and Digimon looked among themselves. "Waiting for who? Us?"

"Maybe..." Pteramon frowned. "I have a feeling they may know you're here."

Velocimon folded his arms. "But then why haven't they attacked us if they know where we are?"

"They sent SkullGreymon."

"Yes, but if they have that many soldiers, then why haven't they sent more?" Velocimon spread his arms, exasperated. "They could probably level this forest wipe us off the map."

Kai contemplated, Colchimon wrapping himself around Kai in his usual position. "There may be something more going on here. We might need to be wary."

"Probably." Aaron turned to the pterosaur. "Thank you anyway, Pteramon. It's nice to know someone's looking out for us."

Pteramon bowed his head. "It's the least I can do. Besides, I want to get back at the Fire Kingdom as much as you do."

He turned to the rest of the group. "Sorry for the lack of notice. I just wanted to check you were okay and keep you informed. I hope I haven't disturbed you too much."

Perimon huffed. "Yes you did. Now please go." he muttered under his breath.

He opened out his wings, high-powered jets powering up again. As he rose skyward, the children and Digimon on the ground stopped to see him off. The giant rose above the treelines, before straightening out his wings and spiralling off into the wild blue yonder.

Jack looked after him, shielding his eyes from the sun. "Okay, that's pretty cool."

Perimon hunched a little. "Hmph. He's a show-off."

* * *

It was all very well when they'd been talking about it beforehand. But when everyone was gathered around Kent, watching the lines of code that held the key to the world before them, everyone was feeling just a little nervous.

"I've got the mask." Grace was the last to appear, holding the mysterious object and placing it down in front of him. Kent cracked his knuckles.

"Stand back, everyone. I have no idea what's going to happen."

Most of the group shifted backwards a fair way, just leaving Kent and his partner alone with the laptop and the mask. Kent turned to Trilomon, "You can go as well if you want."

Trilomon shook his head. "I'm not leaving you, partner."

"Thanks." Kent swallowed, tapped a few more keys, before hovering his middle right finger over the Enter button.

"Here goes..."

He pressed down.

Beside him, Kent's D-Nexus vibrated as the mask's data copied itself to his screen. Then all was still. Kent exhaled, as Jack poked his head out, trying to get a better view. "Is that it?" He sounded almost disappointed.

Kent smiled, and swivelled his screen to show them. There was a perfect replica of the mask amongst the lines of code running past. "There you go."

"Okay," said Eloise, "but what does that actually mean? What can you do with it?"

Kent tapped a few more keys. Lines of text began to appear next to the code, as well as several diagrams, including one of a strange, bird-man creature.

"You'd be surprised what you can find out like this. Here's what the mask once belonged to. Karatenmon. Demon Man Digimon, Ultimate level, attacks, power levels, everything about this guy right down to his data structure."

Perimon winced. "That's...a little private, isn't it?"

"Don't you see?" Kent was far more excited than he was letting on. "We can find out so much more about the Digimon, thus we can give them the power they need to evolve."

"Okay, how would you evolve that guy?"

Kent got out a flash drive and stuck it into the side of his laptop. "He's pretty high level already; it would take a massive amount of energy to evolve him to Mega. I'll have a look at it later." Kent tapped a few more keys and saved the mask and all the data to the flash drive.

Velocimon, still wary, went over and picked up the mask. "It seems fine, I suppose." He turned it over, trying to find a single thing wrong with it, but it was exactly the same. Right down to the strange writing on the back.

"I'm sure it's fine." Trilomon stepped up to Velocimon and looked at it. "Hmm, that's funny."

"What?"

"The writing's changed."

"Really?" Velocimon took another look at the intricate carvings. "Yeah, I can't read this stuff."

Trilomon leant forward. "Hang on...let me read it again."

"_It hurts..."_

Human and Digimon looked amongst themselves. Colchimon whispered to Kai, "That doesn't sound good."

Aaron walked over to Kent. "You know, maybe we shouldn't be doing this..."

"Why not? It's going well so far."

"I know, but..." Aaron looked worriedly towards the mask, in the hands of his partner. "All of a sudden I don't think it's a good idea to be doing this stuff so close to that thing. We really barely know anything about it. I mean, if this Karatenmon was wearing it, what happened to him?"

Kent sighed. "Look, if it's that much of a worry, I won't look into the mask any more. But can't I at least scan Trilomon?"

"Kent..."

"It could help! I'm serious, if we can find out more about our partners, it could give us an edge. Besides, the mask scanned in fine."

"I'm up for it." Trilomon stood at Aaron's feet , looking up at him. "It'll be fine."

"Aaron, I really don't like this." Velocimon stood staring at his partner, still holding the mask. Some of the assembled group nodded in agreement, but Aaron wasn't sure. If this went right, it could really help. But what would happen if it went wrong?

He sighed. "Just...try it." He stepped back, Velocimon running towards him. "What are you doing?"

Aaron backed away with the others. Eloise leant in towards him. "Aaron, I really think this is a bad idea."

"Don't worry!" Kent was tapping away again, his partner stood before him. "Okay, it's ready. Are you?"

"Of course I am."

"Then here we go." Kent's finger hovered above the Enter key once again.

"That's it." Velocimon, closely followed by Perimon and Vulpimon, began to march towards the two. "This is far too risky, you need to stop now."

They moved too late as Kent's finger hit the button.

The D-Nexus vibrated again, as the copy of Trilomon's data moved into it. A copy of Trilomon's body appeared on Kent's screen, just as the mask had. For a brief moment, everything seemed fine.

All of a sudden, the laptop let off a flurry of sparks. Kent yelled and covered his face as the laptop began to steam, letting off waves of distorted data that surrounded him and his partner. Kent immediately stood up and ran over to Trilomon, leaving the laptop to continue pulsating of its own accord. The waves of data slammed into Velocimon, Vulpimon and Perimon, knocking them backwards into the rest of the group. The waves continued to expand, until they covered an area of about ten metres.

Kent and Trilomon tried to run, but when they hit the wall of data, they were flung back inside. The computer died down slightly, smoking profusely. The sound died down to a low hum, and the group was left in silence, staring at Kent and Trilomon on the other side of the wall.

Kent punched again and again at the wall, but it merely bounced his hand away each time. Kai sent Colchimon forward with a quick hand gesture, "Break it open! Now!"

Colchimon flew towards the force field and started slashing at it with his bladed tail, the other Digimon coming to back him up. No matter what they threw at it, though, the thing wouldn't budge, staying an impenetrable dome.

Kent put his hands over his mouth. "Okay, stay calm. We can get out of this, we can always get out of these things..." He felt the others' eyes upon him, aware they could see him panicking. Trilomon walked up beside him, "I can't dig under it. It must go round in a sphere."

"Well that doesn't help. Try evolving."

"It's not reacting to any attacks. Even as Seismon I don't think I could break us out."

"Well WHAT?" Kent turned on his partner, his anger rising.

Trilomon flinched at the sudden outburst. "I don't know! You were the one who did this." He realised what he had just said, "I'm sorry, I-"

"I know." Kent fell to his knees, his legs were shaking so badly. "I just wanted to help. I...I thought I could handle it. But I went too far, and now we're stuck in here."

"Calm down, Kent." Carefully, Aaron put his hand on the force-field from outside, feeling it repelling his hand away. "You're still in there, we can still get you out. It's going to be fine." He was trembling as he spoke, not quite believing his own words.

"_My, you sound awfully confident..."_

Kent jumped at the voice which suddenly emanated from his laptop. The whole group watched as the screen began to glow a deep red colour. Kent was terrified, but he swallowed and gingerly walked forward, leaning down towards the machine. "Who are you? Did you do this?"

"_I don't think so. At least, I don't think I was the one who pressed the button and messed with things they shouldn't have."_ The voice was followed by a harsh laughter.

Kent ignored it. "Okay, let me put it another way. How do we get out?"

"_I don't know. I also don't care. Also, if I both knew and cared, I definitely wouldn't want to tell you. Any of you."_

Trilomon was backing away. "Kent, I don't like the sound of this."

"_You never did, did you, wuss?"_

Aaron looked at his partner. "I have a horrible feeling I know this guy."

"Me too." replied Velocimon, his face grave. "But how..."

Very slowly, Kent reached towards the lid of the laptop and lifted it up. For a split second, the screen merely showed lines of code. Then, all of a sudden, a monstrous face jumped onto the screen; huge blue nose, slitted eyes and a horrific grimace. Kent jumped back a mile as the creature in his computer laughed maniacally.

"Mandrimon!"

"_Did you miss me?"_

"But...you were killed...how did you...?"

Mandrimon shook his head in a mocking fashion. _"Don't you remember? You scanned me when I had a physical form; my very essence was in your D-Nexus. Then, when you decided to play God, you must have let me out. So considerate of you."_ Another grin, showing Mandrimon's far-too-numerous teeth.

Velocimon put his claws against the force field. "Listen, mate, if you think you're getting out of there, you can think again. We beat you down last time and we'd be happy to do it again."

Mandrimon raised a finger to the screen. _"Ah, ah, ah Mr Dinosaur. You seem to be forgetting a few things. Firstly, you're out there, and I'm in here. Secondly, I'm in a D-Nexus with enough juice to bust out and tear apart your little friends. And thirdly..." _Here the monkey lowered his head, looking particularly malevolent, "_Your techie friend there kindly gave me both the instructions to evolve, and the spare data with which to do it."_

Kent looked shocked. "But...I didn't..."

"Remember Kent, you scanned him when he was alive." Trilomon watched as the monkey nodded. "I don't know how he got a new consciousness, but all his information is in there, like when you scanned the mask."

_"Perfect description." _Mandrimon sniggered, and slowly lowered from the screen.

_"I'm coooomiiiiiiing!"_

"Kent, destroy the laptop, now!" Eloise yelled at the older boy. "You can't let him escape."

Kent hesitated for a second, before looking at his partner. "Take it down." Trilomon nodded, rushing towards the smoking machine. "Shell Sword!"

"AAAAAAAAAUUUUURGHH!"

The ear-splitting scream pierced the air as the laptop let off an explosion of sparks, knocking Trilomon back. Kent's D-Nexus burst into motion, letting out a bright green beam, laced with red tendrils. Kent and Trilomon watched, horrified, as first one spindly arm, then another, then the whole grotesque body of Mandrimon emerged from the D-Nexus and stood before them.

The monkey did not look the same as he had beforehand. He raised his hand, making a choking noise as he did so. The group could see his skin pulsating and rippling.

"_What did you do to me?"_

The monkey was furious, far from the wicked, almost playful personality he usually had. He took a step towards Kent, but another spasm of pain went through his head and he fell to the floor. Mandrimon's vision was blurring, and he felt a massive power within him, worming its way up to his head and all throughout his body. He let out a course, bitter laugh.

_"You have no idea what you've played with. You deserve everything that's coming to you."_

Mandrimon retched, flames coming out of his mouth in short bursts. He tried to close his eyes, but he felt the burning heat reach up and burst out of his eye sockets as well. The group watched as the monkey spasmed, his skin ripping and tearing, falling to the ground to reveal a new, much larger body beneath it. The new body staggered, its eyes wild as it expanded out.

It was almost humanoid, with four massive arms and jet black skin. It wore gold bracelets and anklets, and carried a wheel on its back. Its three faces were rotating around the neck, each one pushing to be at the front, to focus on its targets before them. It seemed to be similar to a Hindu god, but where it might have looked rather holy normally, this was a hellish creature, with great gashes in its body through which flames spurted forth, and the same wild burning aura in its eyes and at the edge of its mouths, as if it were rabid.

Everyone outside the dome looked on, stunned and terrified by the broken god before them. Grace could barely find her words, "I...Is that M...Mandrimon's e...evolution?"

"One of them." Kai had his D-Nexus out and was attempting to scan the creature, but the combination of the force field and the Digimon's hellish form was making it beep angrily. Finally he got some information.

"_Asuramon. Ultimate Level, Vaccine Attribute. Attacks: Fire Fist of Shiva, Asura Bakunenken_"

"Kent, no!" Eloise swiped Kai's device away from him, "You can't scan that thing. Look what Mandrimon did when Kent scanned him!"

"But he shouldn't be able to." Ladomon stretched forward and looked at her partner. "It's just information. There shouldn't be any sort of consciousness there at all."

"But then…Mandrimon…?"

"I think we have a bigger problem right now." Jack was watching as the mighty Asuramon marched, slowly and unsteadily, towards Kent and Trilomon, letting off a deep, electronic growl as he did so.

Aaron slumped. "We were barely able to fight off one Ultimate level with all six of us. How the hell is Kent going to manage on his own?"

Kent ran forward while Trilomon ran between Asuramon's legs, making him stop to send a punch hurtling down towards the insect. Trilomon was thrown away by the impact, but he gave Kent the time he needed to grab his D-Nexus and rip it away from the laptop. He stood up and watched the god turn angrily.

"Well, that clearly didn't work." Shaking, but standing firm, Kent held out his D-Nexus before himself. "Trilomon, I think you might need to evolve."

"Primal Control!"

Trilomon leapt out of the way of Asuramon's upper-right fist as he heard Kent's words. He skidded underneath Asuramon's legs again and braced himself.

"Evolution Activate!"

"Seismon!"

Asuramon turned, expecting to see the little insect, but instead got a spear to the face as Seismon lunged forward. Asuramon staggered backwards a little, the gap between two of his faces rended open, but he ignored the pain (or maybe he didn't feel it) and threw another punch.

Seismon dodged, but he still felt the heat as Asuramon's fist passed him. Kent stood away from the action, clutching his D-Nexus tightly. "Do you think you can take him?"

"We'll see, partner…"

With a guttural growl, Asuramon sent his upper left fist hurtling towards the insect, burning bright with an orange flame. With a quick flick of his hands, Seismon brought his spear down into the earth before him, using it to parry the giant's attack away from him. He winced as the spear bent under the impact, but he quickly swiveled and buried the tip into the ground once again.

"Seismic Shards!"

Chunks of rock and crystal hurtled towards Asuramon, but with a swing of his arms he simply batted them away. Kent had to leap out of the way as razor-sharp projectiles flew in his direction, swearing as one of them slammed into his arm. At his cry, Seismon whipped his head round.

"Oh my…sorry!"

Kent grabbed the rock in his arm and yanked it out, revealing a gash. "Behind you, you idiot!"

Seismon turned back too late as Asuramon's lower left fist caught him in a massive uppercut, launching him across the makeshift arena. He crashed to the ground in an undignified heap. As he picked himself up, he split his spear and returned it to his gauntlets. "I think I may need a heavier hitter for this guy."

The insect clenched his fists, drawing in energy and making them glow green, as if he was about to fire off his Earth Cannon attack. Instead, he held the energy tightly around them and raised his hands as Asuramon came charging towards him, fists raised himself.

"_Fire…Fist…-"_

Before Asuramon could call his attack, Seismon had already blocked it, crossing his glowing arms to take the brunt of the fist. The attack still knocked him backwards, but he dug in and pushed forward himself. Asuramon took a step back, letting out a roar of frustration as he brought his fists forward again.

"Yeah, I can do that too, mate."

Seismon brought his own fist forward, hitting the fire god square in the chest with the force of a meteor. Asuramon was sent backwards, but Seismon didn't let up, throwing punch after punch. When Asuramon was out of his reach, he opened his fists, beginning to throw green missiles again and again. This wasn't like his previous projectile attack, where he had to charge up between each throw. No, Seismon was hitting hard and fast, and pretty soon Asuramon was backed up against the forcefield. Obviously all that training had been paying off.

However, Seismon was still only Champion-level, whereas Asuramon was a wildly fluctuating Ultimate. The god ceased struggling for a second and instead raised his arms to the sides, each hand glowing bright.

With a feral roar he brought each fist forward at the same time, launching four huge fireballs straight at Seismon. Seismon cried as the fireballs hit him, scorching his armour, and he ceased his attack. Within seconds Asuramon was upon him, picking him off the ground and slamming him into the force field. Kent leapt out of the way and turned to see his partner's painful impact.

"Seismon, no!"

"I can deal with-" Seismon was cut off as Asuramon grabbed the insect by the throat and slammed him into the ground, crumpling his body like a piece of paper. Seismon coughed and slashed at the giant with his legs, but Asuramon held firm, landing punch after punch.

Velocimon was banging on the outside of the force field, yelling at the insect, but his advice fell flat as Seismon just couldn't move. The rest of the group simply watched, completely unable to do anything.

Kent brought his hands up to his head as he saw his partner mercilessly pummeled into the ground, wincing as the gash in his arm sent a spasm of pain through his body. Kent ignored the pain. All this was his entire fault. What the hell could he do to sort things out? He looked around the arena, but there was nothing around he could use. Except…perhaps…

His gaze fell upon the smoking laptop; the one he'd received on his fifteenth birthday. It had caused all this trouble, but maybe it was the key out of here. If the force field had come from the computer…

He saw one of Seismon's shards lying at his feet, the one that had hit him. He picked it up and ran towards the flickering device, falling to his knees and raising the sharpened rock above his head.

"Damn you!"

He brought the rock down, tearing through the plastic and metal and into the workings within. The laptop let out an electronic scream; perhaps whatever had possessed it could feel pain, or perhaps it had just gone completely haywire. Kent brought the rock down again and again, reducing the machine to a pile of smouldering rubble, right down to the flash drive sticking out the side. Around him, the force field flickered with static, then slithered back into the ground.

In an instant the others were in, hands already on their D-Nexus's ready to evolve their partners. Before they could do so, however, Asuramon screamed and raised all his hands to his face. The group simply watched as the giant writhed in the open air, his skin pulsating, flaming wounds opening further. Asuramon was tearing himself apart, letting out great screams of pain as he did so. One by one his four arms tore themselves away from his body, snapping on the ground and spiraling off into energy. The giant got smaller and smaller, screams dying down to whimpers, until finally his three masks simply dissolved, phasing into the ground with a ripple. There wasn't even a speck of data left behind.

For a few seconds, there was silence. Then Jack backed away from the rest of the group, hands over his mouth.

"I think I'm gonna throw up." The boy ran off, his partner and sister in pursuit.

Kent immediately ran over to his partner, who devolved himself to Trilomon. The insect was curled up on his back in the cracked earth, looking up to the sky, as if somehow that had all the answers.

"Trilomon!"

Trilomon turned his head. "I think that could have gone worse. How did I do?"

Kent didn't answer; he simply scooped his arms under Trilomon's battered form and lifted him up, turning to face the others. His head was lowered, black hair hanging in front of his face. A small trail of blood was trickling down his left arm where he'd been struck.

"There's nothing more I can do than say I'm sorry."

Eloise stepped forward, hand raised towards him. "It wasn't all your fault. I mean…none of us knew that would happen. It could still-"

"No."

Kent looked up at her. His eyes were moist with tears, but his face was one of pure anger. Eloise took a step backward, shocked at the raw emotion on Kent's face. The older boy turned his head and looked down at the debris that used to be his laptop.

"I'll ditch that later."

"Wait, you can't just-"

"I'm done, okay. I played at being God and nearly payed the price." Kent marched past the group. "Even if I could put it back together, I'm not touching that thing again. Ever. "

Curled up in his partner's arms, Kent looked up weakly. "Kent…"

Eloise watched him walk away. "Aaron…"

Aaron sighed, looking down at his feet. He didn't particularly want to talk.

"Are we really going to be ready for the Fire Kingdom? I mean, if they are out there, waiting to attack, can we really do it?"

Aaron didn't look at Eloise, instead turning his gaze to his partner. Velocimon's face showed no expression; he had no idea what to say.

Kai put his hands in his pockets. "Perhaps not. Perhaps we won't be ready for a long time." Colchimon twisted round and gave him a hurt look, but Kai simply looked away, staring at Aaron with his haunting blue eyes.

"Maybe not." Aaron's voice was quiet and brooding. Eloise and Kai stayed where they were, listening intently.

"We may never be ready. But we don't have a choice."

* * *

"WHAT?"

Cephalomon brought his fist down, hitting the water with a gargantuan crack. The Red Beast ignored his colleague as he tapped his foot in front of his rosary, waiting for a signal from the other Commander. In truth, he felt like screaming himself, but he wasn't one to let his inner thoughts fuel his actions.

Cephalomon, on the other hand, seemed quite happy to vent his frustration; quite literally, as steam billowed out from the sides of his mask. "I don't have a damn clue what Surtremon's playing at, but he'd better let us do something about this."

"I don't know, _Cephalomon," _said the Red Beast with ice in his voice. "I hope we get clued in as much as you do. These pathetic attempts at freedom fighters are screwing with us too much."

"Ah, we're through." The circle of beads sparked into life, first rippling, then opening up, showing the inside of a dark room to both himself and Cephalomon.

"Rinkhalmon, bastard, you'd better be home."

A shape wriggled into the rosary's viewpoint, hidden in shadows. _"Please, squid-man, you hurt my feelings."_

"Cut the crap." The Red Beast slammed his foot down. "The kids found one, one of your freaks of nature. It took over one of their devices and went haywire. They're too dangerous to be left alive."

A laugh came from the other end of the portal. _"I'm sorry, you've come to the wrong guy. If you want to kill them so bad, you'll have to take it up with the boss."_

Cephalomon let off another batch of steam. "You're the one who's sucking up to him all the time, that's _your_ job."

_"I have. He said the same thing. You can't kill them yet. Any of them, not unless you find the original."_

"I know." The Red Beast raised his eyebrow, "The original?"

_"You know, that thing we've been looking for ever since you got drafted, genius."_

"I know…never mind." The Red Beast thought for a moment. "Wait, I think that might have been what they found back there."

_"Really? I'd never have guessed."_

Cephalomon leant down and stared into the portal. "Hang on, are you telling me you _wanted_ them to find that thing? Knowing how dangerous that is for us?"

_"Of course. They do all the hard work and dangerous stuff, we take it, and then we're at liberty to kill them. The alternative is that they actually didn't find it, you lead them here without killing them and I get to do all the fun stuff."_

Cephalomon snorted. "You wish, mate."

The Red Beast stood up. "I'm pretty sure I felt a certain presence there, different to the ones I get from the regular soldiers. We might just have got lucky."

_"Well, you check it out then, my good friend. When you think you've found it, send it to me, I'll check it, and then you can off them pesky kids. Sound fun?"_

Cephalomon put his fists together. "You know, I'd rather forget all this mysterious puzzle bullcrap and just wipe them out myself."

"That would be a stupid move." The Red Beast smiled mockingly, "The last time you went out on land, you got your arse royally handed to you. What makes you think you could take them on this time?"

Cephalomon huffed. "Screw you both." He sank back underwater, eyeing the Red Beast all the while. The Red Beast sighed, then looked into the portal again. "Next time you get some rather helpful information, please try and remember to tell us."

_"Will do, soldier."_ Rinkhalmon let out a giggle, and the portal faded into static. The Red Beast shifted his rosary back around his own body, then looked in the direction of the forest.

"You know, kids, I think it's time I visited you properly…"


	9. Episode 9: Because of Me

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 9: Because of Me

* * *

Jack gently moved the stick back and forth, etching lines and strokes into the soft earth. He'd been doing it for some time now, and the lines had merged into a surprisingly accurate picture of Pteramon, wings at an angle and beak open in a battle cry. Next to him was an equally majestic Mistramon; the two seemed to be battling side by side against some unnamed threat. Jack tilted his head; there was something decidedly off about his partner's leg, and the way it veered off at an angle.

Normally he would have been bored out of his mind, but frankly he felt too distracted to be bored. Everyone had been feeling that way for some time now; ever since the incident with Kent's computer. Kent had been the worst, simply sitting silent, Trilomon often curled up next to him. Trilomon himself had taken some time to recover as well. Apparently whatever had taken hold of Mandrimon had overpowered him to a stupidly dangerous level, and the poor insect had taken the brunt of said power.

Right now none of the humans felt like training. They were spread out over the whole area, barely talking to each other, perhaps everyone just thinking to themselves. Even the Digimon had gradually drifted away from the group; Jack hadn't seen Perimon in a little while now.

Jack lay back, spreading his arms out and letting out an exasperated sigh. Every time they seemed to be getting somewhere then something else would just crop up and knock everyone's confidence back down again. Hadn't anyone heard of teamwork?

"That's actually pretty good. You're quite the artist."

Jack opened his eyes and saw Kai's figure standing above him, his grey raincoat making him look like some sort of hunched-over statue. Or maybe that was just how Jack was looking at him. The young boy frowned, and turned his head to the side, before pushing himself up into a sitting position. Kai smiled down at him, his ice-blue eyes seeming unusually warm. Colchimon, draped around his neck as usual, flapped his wing in greeting.

Jack waved back half-heartedly. "Why are you so quiet all the time?"

Kai shrugged. "Practice, I guess. I'm good at being inconspicuous."

"You should be a spy or something." Jack crossed his legs and looked closely at his little piece of artwork. The more he looked at it, the more he decided it really wasn't that good after all.

Kai crouched down next to him. "What, so I can sneak up on people with my 'evil powers of darkness'?" He lowered his head and waved his fingers for dramatic effect.

Colchimon stifled a laugh, before joining in himself, raising his wings over his head like some demonic creature. _"I am always watching from the shadows..."_

Jack laughed. "You're pretty funny sometimes." He twiddled the stick absentmindedly. "And pretty cool."

Kai gave a smirk. "Where's your partner? Off training somewhere?"

Jack nodded. "He said he was 'fed up with everyone being so down', and that he was 'going off to beat up Velocimon' or something." He accompanied his Perimon impression by pressing the sides of his lips together.

Colchimon rolled his eyes. "Well, that should at least keep them busy for a few weeks."

Jack leaned back again. "It's annoying though."

"What is?"

"Everyone's trying to be really 'serious' and 'grown-up'. They all seem to be shouting at each other and talking behind each other's backs. I'm sure they're saying I'm a dumb kid or something."

"Come on, it can't be that bad."

Jack looked straight at Kai. "I miss the real world. I think we all do. But it's still not bad here. I just want everyone to get along like we're supposed to."

Colchimon twisted round and looked at his partner. Kai's expression was nigh-on unreadable, as it usually was, and he seemed to be staring into nothing. Jack waited for him to answer, before waving his hand in front of his face.

"Hello?"

Kai snapped back to reality and gave Jack a small smile.

"At least someone knows what they're talking about round here." Kai twisted round a little. "Just remember to keep on fighting, and you'll be okay."

Jack looked confused. "Sure, but..." He extended his bad leg, feeling the neoprene sleeve against his knee. "I'm not sure how much I can do to help."

"Keep on smiling. Keep everyone going. Sometimes we all need just a little bit of motivation."

Kai stood up and stretched, Colchimon ducking out of the way of his arms.

"It was nice talking to you."

He walked away towards the surrounding woods. Jack blinked, before calling after him, "Hey, Kai!"

"Wha-whoa!" Kai lost his footing as he turned to answer, sending him sprawling on the ground. Colchimon, quick as he was, managed to slither away just before his tail got squashed beneath his partner, although it was a close call. Jack stifled a laugh, "Sorry about that."

Kai got to his feet rather rapidly and brushed himself off, trying to retain some of his dignity.

"No problem at all. Anyway, what was it you wanted?"

Jack grinned. "Just wanted to say thanks. You know, for helping and everything."

Kai stared at Jack, taken aback a little by his remark.

"Um…thanks. You too."

He turned and walked away, leaving a bemused Jack staring after him.

* * *

"You okay, mate?" Colchimon was looking into his partner's eyes with some concern. Kai had seemed distracted for a long time now; ever since the Asuramon incident in fact. The dragon was beginning to worry more about his partner.

"I'm fine. Why'd you ask?" Colchimon jumped at Kai's response. He'd half expected him not to answer.

"You just don't seem quite yourself, that's all."

Kai shrugged. "Given what I've seen and had to fight through since I've got here, I'd say I'm doing pretty well." He gave a small, humourless chuckle, before smiling at his partner. "I'll be fine though. Don't worry about me."

Colchimon frowned. Whenever he asked, his partner always gave the same words. Each time, they seemed further and further from the truth. Colchimon had even seen his partner wincing from time to time. Was he in pain, or was something else...

He realised he wasn't going to get an answer, at least not right now. He bunched his wings up slightly. "Look, you need to know I'm here for you to talk to."

Kai remained silent for a couple of minutes. Then he stopped and turned his gaze to Colchimon. "You know, it's not good for you to worry about me so much. I'm tougher than you think."

"Maybe so, but you're not as tough as _you_ think."

"Fair point." Kai brushed his hair away from his eyes. In the week (or something like) he'd been in the Digital World, his hair had somehow gotten messier. "Have you seen Ladomon recently?"

"No..."

"Me neither." Kai looked around. "Or any of the others, for that matter. Maybe you should have a look around."

Colchimon was about to argue, but saw that it was pointless. He gently unwrapped himself from his partner's neck and bowed his head. "I'll see what I can do. Take care."

He glided off into the forest, leaving Kai alone. The boy watched his partner slither through the thin tree trunks and disappear into the viridian undergrowth.

* * *

Colchimon gently weaved through the trees, a lot on his mind. To be honest, he was angry. He'd sworn to protect Kai, but he also felt like his partner was making it very difficult for him. He knew he had a point; Kai was not as tough as he thought he was, but he seemed adamant to push through everything on his own.

It wasn't just since the Asuramon incident either. It was clear that something was up; something that Kai didn't want to share. During the SkullGreymon incident, when Colchimon had evolved into Achromon, he had felt Kai's inner emotions through the elemental link. Yes, they had given him the power he needed, but he could still remember Kai's anger powering him, his partner's rage fuelling him as he pierced SkullGreymon through the heart.

Perhaps Kai had realised. He'd certainly seemed quieter for a few days afterwards, and had almost been avoiding him.

"Oh Kai, why won't you talk to me?"

"Oh, sorry!"

Colchimon started as he collided with Ladomon, coming the opposite direction. The white dragon apologised profusely as the two untangled themselves, but Colchimon shrugged it off.

"That was my fault. I was...thinking. That's all."

"No, I...never mind." Ladomon blushed a little. "Anyway, Velocimon sent me to find you. He's gathering all of us together; says we need to talk about something."

"Sounds very organised. Trust Velocimon to make everything work like a war briefing." Colchimon chuckled, and the two dragons set off back the way Ladomon had come, flying in a very leisurely fashion through the undergrowth.

"You said you were thinking before. What about?"

Colchimon sighed. He knew Ladomon didn't exactly trust Kai at the best of times, but to be honest he needed to talk to someone.

"Ladomon, what do you think I'm supposed to do?"

Ladomon blinked. "Is this about Kai?"

"Yes. I mean, he's supposed to be my partner, but he's always so distant. I worry about him, and frankly, I worry about what he's capable of."

"What do you mean?"

"I've felt it, Ladomon." Colchimon closed his eyes, trying to remember. "You must have felt it too; Eloise's emotions flowing through you when you evolved into Luminemon."

Ladomon nodded. "I did. But not just hers." Colchimon looked puzzled, but she explained. "I felt your power as well, and even some of Kai's. I know what you mean."

"I see." Colchimon sighed. "I don't think he's a bad person. But I don't want to risk him becoming one." He looked at the light dragon, desperation in his eyes. "What do you think I should do?"

Ladomon considered. "I think all you can do for him right now is just be there for him. He may not realise it, or possibly may not want to admit it, but he needs you right now. And don't forget that I'm here to help, as is everyone else."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Of course." Ladomon nudged up against the shadow dragon. "I may not trust him myself, but he's your partner. I know you'll do the right thing."

Colchimon was surprised, but he smiled and rubbed heads with Ladomon. "Thanks."

Ladomon blushed. "I'm always here for you as well, just so you know."

"And me for you. Together we can rock this world." Colchimon suddenly stopped and looked around. "Um, by the way, where are we meeting Velocimon?"

Ladomon started to speak, before looking around herself. "I...can't remember where exactly..."

Colchimon looked around, before grinning. "You know, Velocimon'll be so annoyed if we're late..."

* * *

"Will you stop pacing already?"

An irritated Vulpimon looked over at Velocimon, who was being unusually fidgety, pacing back and forth along the clearing he'd picked out for his little 'meeting'.

"I know, I know. But when are Ladomon and Colchimon getting here? I know I managed to lose our partners but it won't be long before they wonder where we've actually gone."

Perimon, roosted in the tree above, sighed. "Look, it'll be fine. They trust us, and it's not like we're doing anything dodgy." He paused, before giving Velocimon the eye. "Right...?"

"Of course we aren't. I just think we all need to talk about something."

Perimon waited for a few seconds, before fluttering down to the ground. A couple of leaves fluttered down with him, landing on a curled up Trilomon, who merely shook them off.

Perimon marched up to Velocimon and stuck his wing out, stopping the lizard in his tracks.

"Look, calm down, okay? I know things have been painful the last few days but there's really no point panicking about every little thing." The bird looked into his comrade's eyes and smiled. "I seem to remember you telling me that once."

Velocimon, tense as he was, smiled back regardless. "That was a while ago. How things have changed since then."

"We've certainly gotten to know each other better since then." Perimon huffed, then nudged Velocimon with his wing. "This isn't the Velocimon I know. Now pull yourself together."

Vulpimon watched the two talk as she stretched. She smiled to herself; with as much as the two argued, it was sometimes hard to remember that they did in fact care for each other. Maybe even more so all the time they'd been together, even for the months between summoning the children and actually finding them.

Of course, neither of them would ever admit it.

"What are you looking at?" Vulpimon jumped as she realised she'd been staring at her two comrades. She blushed a little, before bowing her head. "I guess I was just remembering old times."

"Old? You mean..." Perimon looked away. "Before all this mess started?"

Vulpimon nodded. She avoided his gaze; she knew about everything Perimon had been through ever since the Fire Kingdom attacked. She couldn't imagine the pain of losing her family. Of course, she had no way of knowing whether or not they were even still alive.

She shook her head, trying not to think about it. Trilomon wandered over to the group. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we'll be okay." Velocimon nodded at him. "I forget, you don't even remember before the war, do you?"

Trilomon shook his head. "I wasn't even hatched back then. My first memory is falling down a hill being chased by an Agumon." The little insect poked the ground, remembering the traumatising incident like it was yesterday.

Vulpimon looked down. "Each one of us, each of us with different lives before the war. How did we all get here now?"

"At least we all have something worth fighting for."

Vulpimon turned, and smiled at the new arrivals. "Hello, you two, get lost?"

Ladomon flushed. "Umm...just a little."

Colchimon laughed. "That's fine. It's not as if the world's in danger or anything."

Velocimon didn't seem to think it was particularly funny. "Now we _are_ all here, I think we need to talk about something."

"Oh come on, dino-boy. Lighten up a little." Perimon nudged him again. "I know there's a war on, but we don't need to keep acting like it."

"That's the thing though; it isn't just the war." Velocimon folded his arms. "I mean the Asuramon. You all saw it, didn't you?"

Perimon's smile soon faded. "How could I forget? That thing was seriously messed up."

"You can talk. You weren't the one being pulverised by it." If Trilomon had a visible mouth, he would have frowned disapprovingly at the bird. As it was, he settled on a simple, intimidating stare.

Velocimon carried on, "That's the thing though. It wasn't natural. I mean, maybe Mandrimon was before, but then he came out of that computer, and...I don't know..."

Ladomon tilted her head. "Surely it was what Kent was doing with the code that did that?"

Trilomon shook his head. "I really don't think so. When we tried the coding before it didn't do anything like that. If the whole of the Digital World's made of data, it shouldn't have made a difference if he was only scanning something in. It certainly shouldn't have let out a Lovecraftian monkey."

"A what?"

Trilomon looked a little embarrassed. "Something Kent told me about. It's like..." He thought about his answer. "You know what, never mind. It's not important."

"Whatever's going on, it's something more than just a war." Velocimon looked around at his comrades. "Has anyone had the feeling that we're being watched?"

"Of course we have, oh smart one." Colchimon rolled his eyes. "We're being targeted by Surtremon and his three goons, as well as countless soldiers. I dare say they're watching our every move. Hell, Pteramon said as much."

"Exactly. So why haven't we been attacked since SkullGreymon?"

"Because..." Colchimon faltered. This had come up beforehand as well.

"Because they have other plans?"

Velocimon shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that something is definitely wrong around here. The Fire infection, the laptop, the Fire Kingdom not attacking; it's all bad news." While talking, he backed towards one of the bushes, before turning and pulling out a familiar object.

"To top it all off, there's this." The dinosaur slid the Karatenmon mask over to the group, and they all gathered round it. The digicode was visible for all to see, still reading "_It hurts"_.

Velocimon rubbed his head. "I have a feeling we're going to need to look further into this. I think something may be working to sabotage our efforts. There's something going on with the very workings of the Digital World, and it's going to screw us all over if we don't do something about it."

None of the other Digimon seemed particularly happy about this, but they nodded in agreement. This wasn't something they could just ignore, war or no war.

Perimon posed a question. "Why are you being all secretive about this? Wouldn't it be easier if we told the humans?"

Velocimon looked uneasy. "I don't know. Personally though, I don't think it's fair to get them involved in something like this. I mean, we need to protect them and be there for them. Compared to all this business, defeating the Fire Kingdom seems like child's play."

The rest of the group gave each other confused looks. It didn't seem like child's play at all.

Hesitantly, Vulpimon nodded. "I guess... " She looked over at Perimon. "I do think we should keep any investigation quiet for the moment. We don't want to get them too involved."

"I see what you mean, but as far as I can see, they're already involved." He lowered his head. "Hiding this stuff is just gonna make it difficult." He sighed. "But, if that's what you want, I'll keep my beak shut."

Trilomon nodded. "Freedom fighters by day, paranormal investigators by night. I like it."

Ladomon posed a question. "Um, where do you plan on starting? We can't exactly go round scanning things again; we don't have Kent's laptop any more, and I don't want to unleash anything like that Asuramon again."

"Good point." Velocimon frowned. "We really need to start with something physical, like the mask. Where did it come from again?"

Ladomon looked at Colchimon, then back to Velocimon. "It was the pillar in the middle of the settlement. I think there's a couple of poles left. The swords were there as well."

"Well, there's a start." Velocimon looked at Trilomon. "Do you think you could have a dig around there secretly? Maybe there's something else which we missed. Be careful though."

Trilomon nodded enthusiastically. "I'll see what I can find."

"Good." Velocimon addressed the rest of the Digimon in his usual commanding tone. "The rest of us should probably keep an eye out. If we see anything odd, we'll report it back. Maybe we'll be able to get to the bottom of this."

The group nodded, and Velocimon was about to disband them all when Colchimon raised a tentative wing. He'd been listening intently over the past few minutes, and his expression had darkened considerably.

"There's just something I want to check with you, Velocimon."

"Yes?"

"So, we're keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Anything that shouldn't be there. Anything distinctly alien."

Velocimon nodded. "You've seen the kind of thing. Glitches, things changing for no reason, infected Digimon like the Asu –"

"Humans?"

The group all stared at the shadow dragon, whose eyes were glowing an ethereal lilac in the still air.

"I see now. Why you wanted to keep this a secret from the humans. I mean, I know you worry about Aaron but you'd never just up and admit it like that. Not professional enough, is it?"

Velocimon turned to face him. "You want to say something. Carry on."

Colchimon nodded. "Okay, here's my theory. You think there's someone among our partners who can't be trusted. That, for whatever reason, they're the reason everything's going to crap right now. And, right now, the partner who falls under category of 'suspicious and mysterious' happens to be my own. In addition, the Fire Kingdom know exactly where we are, so you think my partner might be in cahoots with them. Am I on the right track?"

The atmosphere grew extremely thick and spiny. Colchimon stared at Velocimon, almost daring him to agree. The lizard remained silent, before turning away from the group.

"I think it's a definite possibility. In all honesty, we barely know them. Any one of them could be in on it." He turned back, staring coldly at Colchimon. "I don't want to believe it. But it's not impossible, and I don't want to take any risks."

"You're right."

Vulpimon and Ladomon turned to Colchimon with shock. Ladomon glared at him, "What the hell do you mean?"

"I mean that he's right. It's only logical that one of our partners could be a part of this whole mess. We can't rule that out."

He lowered his head, shooting daggers at the dinosaur. "Just bear in mind though; if you can't bring yourself to trust those close to you, don't be surprised when we don't trust you either. It's only logical, after all."

The dragon turned and headed back into the forest. "Come on, Ladomon. We've got humans to spy on."

Slowly, the group disbanded. Soon Velocimon was left alone. He brought one of his hands up to his face, letting out a sigh. This was not a good sign.

Oh well, he had some investigating of his own to do, anyway.

Some way away, Colchimon flew on angrily, Ladomon struggling to keep up. In truth, he had his own doubts.

* * *

Trilomon sighed to himself as he pulled himself out of the dusty earth. He'd dug around just like Velocimon had said, but there had been nothing under the tower or anywhere nearby that could give them any sort of a clue to this whole mess.

Overall, he thought to himself, it had not been a particularly good day so far, and it wasn't just due to the hard ground. He really wasn't a fan of arguments at the best of times, but seeing the group of Digimon just pull apart like that made him feel really uncomfortable. As much as Velocimon could be cold and heartless, he did actually have a point about the humans.

This only served to make Trilomon feel even worse. He wasn't one for being suspicious of people, but if there was anybody who was responsible for unleashing something terrible, it was his own partner. Trilomon thought he knew Kent well enough that his partner would never willingly do anything like that, but still...the thought nagged at him, as he was sure it did with the others.

"Hey."

Trilomon looked up into his partner's eyes, before screaming and leaping backwards, accidentally getting his back legs stuck down the hole he'd come out from.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't...I mean, I wasn't doing any...thing..." Trilomon decided to keep his mouth shut before he came off looking more suspicious.

Thankfully , Kent didn't seem to notice. He gave a small chuckle and bent down to help his partner out.

"Relax, mate. It's only me. I don't bite."

"I know." Trilomon clambered out and shook the dust away. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight."

"Don't we all know that feeling..." Kent tilted his head, "Actually, what _were_ you doing down there anyway?"

Trilomon tried to think up a clever lie, but failed. He settled with good old-fashioned ambiguity. "Just, um, looking for something."

"Anything in particular?" Kent frowned. "You seem ill-at-ease. Is something wrong?"

"What, apart from everything else that's going wrong at the moment?"

"Ah." Kent shifted round and sat himself down next to his partner. "This is about the Asuramon thing, isn't it?"

"No. Well, yes. Well...a little." Trilomon relented a little. Whether or not Kent was responsible for the mysterious happenings, Trilomon was sure they weren't his intention. Besides, he couldn't just sit quiet and watch the group tear itself apart.

"Everything that's been happening, with the weird glitches and things, as well as the Fire Kingdom being unusually quiet; Velocimon thinks it's all linked somehow. Some sort of major league conspiracy, even bigger than we brought you guys here for. There was an argument and everyone kind of fell out with Velocimon."

Kent smirked. "You have to admit, he's a stubborn git at times."

"I know." Trilomon leant his head on his front claws. "Personally though, I tend to agree with him. There's been far too much weird stuff going on ever since we brought you guys here. Almost everything's been against us ever since we got here."

Kent nodded "I can see that. Not just with the monsters, though."

"What do you mean?"

"We've only gotten this far because we've stuck together as a team. That's how we've been able to grow stronger, and why the Fire Kingdom weren't able to defeat us. So it would make sense that they're trying a different tactic."

"Divide and conquer..."

"If they're somehow behind these weird events, it would make sense for them to be trying to spread unease. As soon as we're seperated, we're automatically easy prey."

Kent stretched, looking up to the sky. "That's why we need to stay together no matter what. This may be a completely different world to my home, and it sometimes scares me. But the basic method of survival still rings true."

"What's that?"

Kent turned to his partner and smiled. "Strength in numbers."

Trilomon felt a little more relaxed. Kent was right; no matter what was going on around them, they only had to stick together and they'd get through it. Now if only they had some more information on the strange events, maybe they could begin to fight back.

A thought occurred to him. He turned back to his partner, "Um, Kent, what did you do with your computer after...you know..."

Kent looked pained for a couple of seconds. He stared forward, seemingly into thin air.

"It's in pieces in one of the tents." He smiled. "I guess I couldn't get rid of it after all. It's funny though..."

"What is?"

"Well, even though I severely damaged it, the pieces seem to have fixed themselves." He shrugged. "I guess it's like our bodies and our clothes. Our original digital template or something."

Trilomon clicked nervously. "So, you might be able to put it back together...?"

Kent gave him a wearing look, causing the insect to shrink back slightly, apologising under his breath. Kent sighed. "I probably could, I just don't want to. I couldn't deal with the risk."

He stood up and stretched. "I'm going for a wander. I'll contact you if I run into any trouble." With that, the tall boy headed off towards the forest.

Kent didn't look back, but his mind was racing. Trilomon was definitely hiding something, and whatever it was, all this secrecy was bad news.

He rustled his hair, trying to clear his mind, when all of a sudden he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Something was glinting in the bushes on the edge of the clearing. He casually walked over and picked it up, turning the object over in his hands.

To his surprise, it was a mobile phone.

A small, black touch screen with a camera; nothing particularly out of the ordinary in the real world. He guessed it must have belonged to one of the others; he knew he should hand it over, but he hadn't seen one since he'd been here. He'd assumed they'd all been left behind in the real world.

Curious, Kent tapped the power button. The phone sprung into life, and the default screen came up. Inbox. Kent tapped it, wondering if he could get a clue as to whose it was. The most recent message came up.

_Soul transfer complete. Proceed. Thank you._

He pocketed the phone and turned, only to find Kai standing there, looking at the ground around him. He seemed nervous, almost a little paranoid. Kent hadn't even heard him walk over.

"Umm, hi?"

Kai did a double take, as if he'd only just noticed the older boy. "Sorry, got distracted." Kai stared at Kent intently, "Were you looking at something just now?"

Kent felt the phone in his pocket, but said nothing. So this was Kai's phone after all.

"Not really, just faffing around with this thing again." He held up his D-Nexus to emphasise a point. Kai broke eye contact, smirking a little. Kent couldn't tell whether he bought it or not.

"Why do you ask, anyway? Are you looking for something?"

Kai shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Just thought I might have dropped something round here. I'm sure it'll turn up." He smiled at Kai, although his smile carried no genuine feeling behind it.

"Just tell me if you find anything, okay?"

Kent nodded. "Okay."

Without warning, Kai simply turned and walked away, perhaps a little too quickly. Kent watched him go, before walking off in the opposite direction. This was something new. He knew that something was wrong with the Digital World, but nobody seemed to know why. But a mysterious phone with a text talking about 'soul transfer'? That might just be the lead he was looking for. Kent swallowed as he remembered Kai's frantic look.

Was it possible these strange events had something to do with him?

* * *

Kai swore as the feeling died down again. This was getting worse each time it happened; he wasn't sure how much longer he could hide it.

He didn't want to be here. Not around everyone else, at least. But for some reason, he found he couldn't just up and leave. As much as he tried to stay away from them, they still treated him as part of the group, whether he deserved it or not. To be honest, he liked at least being near them. It was kind of nice to be kind of accepted.

He felt a twinge of pain in his head and stopped, clamping his hands against his thick brown hair. Everything just felt so cluttered nowadays; no matter how much he tried, he couldn't relax. Couldn't get the thoughts out of his head. He wondered whether that had deteriorated his appearance; he'd certainly felt physically awful for the last week.

Checking to make sure nobody was watching, he scoured the surrounding foliage again. He guessed he must have dropped his phone when he'd fallen over earlier. Just his luck. He just prayed that nobody had found it.

As he moved aside another bush, he caught a glimpse of something. Some sort of hole, embedded into the earth. It seemed to have been made rather recently…

Kai started, and quickly drew back. This was not a good sign. Hurriedly looking around again, he briskly walked away from the scene, leaving the pawprint alone. After all, he didn't want to get caught on his own, not by something that made a print that size. He'd just have to forget the phone for the minute.

* * *

"What do you think it is?"

Kent was looking thoughtfully at the phone he held in his hand, with Jack, Grace and their Digimon gathered around them. Kent had initially been reluctant to show the younger children, but he figured that they at least might be better at keeping secrets than the older ones. Well, Grace would be. Jack seemed to do whatever the hell he pleased.

Grace peered over to get a better look. "What's it talking about, this 'soul transfer'?"

Kent shrugged. "If I knew that, I'd have confronted Kai by now. It may not even mean anything, but…I just have a feeling that that boy may know more than he's letting on."

Vulpimon frowned. "I'm sure I've heard of something like that before, but I can't exactly pinpoint where from."

Perimon shuffled a little, feeling uncomfortable in the group's cramped hiding place. "I remember one thing. When there were humans here before; there was always a link between the humans and their partners."

"Like the Elemental link?

"I think it is the Elemental link. The energy from the partners that travels through the D-Nexus and allows us to evolve."

Trilomon nodded. "Evolution energy. Sometimes called soul."

Thin shafts of light pierced through the trees, a couple falling on the strange phone. Kent felt confused. "So…if this phone was transferring soul, then…"

Jack finished his question. "Was Kai using this as a D-Nexus?"

Grace shook her head. "Why would he? He already has one."

"Unless…" Kent scratched his chin, trying to piece it all together.

"Okay, there are two scenarios. Either Kai didn't have his D-Nexus when he made this transfer, or he didn't want us to see it."

Grace sat back, giving Kent an incredulous look. "I think the second option's a given."

"But we all got our D-Nexus's when we came here. Which means that he sent this text before we came."

The group were silent as they all pondered their various thoughts. Vulpimon and Perimon looked uncomfortably at each other. They had a feeling that they knew where this was going.

Grace hesitantly raised his head. "Um…Kent?"

Everyone looked at the younger girl, who looked uneasy.

"Um…I don't really know, but…you don't suppose that, maybe Kai might be...in with...with someone else...do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that he might be talking with someone else behind our backs. If he doesn't want us to know, could it be that...that he's working with the Fire Kingdom?" Grace's voice died away as she spoke, making the accusation in barely more than a whisper.

Jack looked around him at the sea of solemn faces. "He wouldn't…would he?" He didn't sound confident.

Kent sighed. "He's giving something, probably some kind of digital energy, to someone here. If one of our partners had evolved since Asuramon, we'd have known. The fact is we don't know where that energy went."

Perimon nodded. "As bad as it seems, it's possible that Kai's been aiding the Fire Kingdom all this time."

Jack leapt to his feet. "Wait…he can't be. Kai's a good guy; you can't think he's a traitor."

Nobody was convinced. The Digimon had already heard Velocimon's accusation; they had to admit the evidence seemed to be pointing towards treachery. Kent got to his feet himself.

"You know, we could always ask him."

"What?"

"Think about it," Kent raised his hands. "If Kai's innocent, he shouldn't have to hide anything. I highly doubt he'd try and lie if it would lead to him being found out as a traitor."

Trilomon looked around incredulously. "Remember, this is Kai we're talking about."

Kent shrugged. "At any rate, we need to find him, otherwise this is gonna get way out of hand. Follow me."

He walked off into the forest; Grace, Jack and the Digimon following close behind him.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Eloise, but I don't know who else to talk to."

The sun was setting over the edge of the horizon, causing the forest to glow as rays of light past through the trees. Eloise sat cross-legged listening to the shadow dragon, her own partner sat nearby, as Colchimon lay coiled in a tight heap, his eyes closed.

"I take it this is about Kai."

"Well...mostly." Colchimon swallowed, before slowly telling Eloise everything that had been brought up in the little "Digimon meetup". Eloise sat listening, trying to take it all in. Finally, when Colchimon had finished, she sat back, letting out a deep sigh.

"I can't believe that Velocimon would so readily accuse someone like that. It just doesn't seem right."

"I know, but..." Colchimon lowered his gaze. He didn't want to say.

"But what?"

Ladomon hovered by her partner. "I don't think Colchimon completely trusts his own partner, is what he's trying to say." She almost seemed embarrassed by her words.

Eloise whirled round. "Ladomon! Don't-"

"She's right."

Eloise turned to face him, not quite sure what she was supposed to say. Colchimon straightened up and carried on.

"It's not that I think he's a bad person, but lately he's been incredibly distracted. He seems exhausted, but he won't sleep. I watch him at night; occasionally he'll wander off and spend hours just standing, like he's trying to concentrate on something. And he won't talk to me about anything; he evens sends me away if I ask now."

"I know he's not exactly with it, but still..." Eloise trailed off, not exactly sure what she could say in Kai's defense.

Colchimon twisted his body round a different way. His eyes were filled with an anguish that barely showed on the rest of his face.

"I need your help. I need you to help me look after him."

"Colchimon..."

The shadow dragon looked at Ladomon as well. "You too. I can't do this on my own."

"I don't know what's going on. I don't know about all this digital glitch junk or all this Fire Kingdom plotting. But I know that my partner's in trouble and I can't do anything to help him. Please."

Colchimon lowered his head down to the ground, as if her were begging to a queen. Eloise smiled gently, and put her hand out onto the little dragon's head, stroking behind his frill.

"Don't worry. Of course I'll be here to help." She thought for a moment, a vision of a laughing Kai reappearing in her head. "He needs someone there for him, after all."

Ladomon flew over to him. "Me too; you know I'll never leave you."

"You guys, we've got trouble."

Eloise and the two dragons looked up as Aaron walked swiftly over, furiously twirling the elastic band around his left hand.

"I can't find anyone around here. Kai's gone walkabouts as usual, Kent and the kids and their Digimon; even my partner's gone."

Eloise got to her feet. "Surely they'll be okay though? I mean, there hasn't been any danger for the past week or so. And anyway, they'll be able to fight off anything, won't they?"

Aaron looked around, before giving Eloise a stern look. "Follow me."

"What is it?" Eloise had to speed-walk in order to keep up with Aaron, the two dragons circling along beside them.

"These. They've been all around the settlement. Something's been watching us." Aaron pointed at a patch of earth on the ground, still barely visible in the waning light. Eloise bent down for a closer look.

"It looks like a footprint of some kind-"

"AH!" Ladomon launched herself back. "It's him. I recognise that footprint. He leaves them deliberately when he's about to strike."

Aaron whirled around. "What does?"

"The Red Beast."

Colchimon's eyes widened. "We need to find everyone now. Otherwise we're all majorly screwed."

Before even waiting for an answer, he set off into the forest. "We need to find Kai! I have a horrible feeling about this."

Aaron turned to Eloise as they all set off after him. "What the hell is going on here? What's the Red Beast? I thought we were supposed to be working together here?"

"Well, maybe you could tell that to your partner."

Aaron started. "Velocimon's in this as well?"

Eloise caught her breath. "Apparently he's blaming one of us for all the crap we've been going through."

"Kai?"

"Probably, but whoever it is this isn't the right time for everyone to be at each other's throats." She nodded forward at the rapidly moving dark dragon. "Now let's get a move on, before things get even worse."

Aaron gritted his teeth.

* * *

Kai leant back against the tree, breathing heavily. This wasn't good; he was feeling worse every time it happened. The sudden flood of pain coursing through his body every time he started thinking too heavily. He sighed, and stood up straighter. He'd just have to deal with it.

Suddenly he heard a rustling, and he started, looking around him. The forest had gone dark by this point, but he could just make out a small shape in the bushes. Slowly and deliberately, the shape stepped forward.

"Hello, Velocimon."

The dinosaur nodded up at the boy in the raincoat, but said nothing. There was silence for a couple of seconds, before Kai carried on.

"What are you doing here?"

Velocimon snorted, and looked up at him with one disapproving eye.

"I could ask you the same thing. But that would be pointless, since I wouldn't get an answer."

Kai's expression didn't move; he simply stared down at the dinosaur.

Velocimon decided to continue. "I should be asking you a lot of things, actually, but I highly doubt I'd get any sort of coherent answer from the likes of you."

"What are you getting at?"

"Perhaps nothing." Velocimoin slowly started walking towards Kai, never turning his gaze. Kai clenched his fists within his pockets, more out of instinct than anything.

"But you must admit that since you've all been here, things have been going pretty damn insane."

"I wouldn't know, but I'll take your word for it."

"Would you also admit that you yourself have been acting generally suspicious recently?"

Kai stopped. He hadn't been expecting this.

"Let me cut to the chase; are you accusing me of being a traitor?"

Velocimon stopped in front of the boy. Ice in his voice, he replied, "Nothing's impossible, _Kai_."

Kai shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea what you're on, but you're mistaken." He made to walk off.

"Am I really? In that case, what _are_ you hiding?"

"It's none of your business."

"Spark Shooter!"

Kai stopped as the flurry of sparks flew past his head. Slowly, he turned around, his eyes falling upon Velocimon's claw gun pointed in his direction.

"I missed on purpose. I didn't come here to hurt you. But I need answers. You're going to tell me what you're hiding."

Kai stayed completely still. Velocimon waited for any sign that he was getting through to the boy, but Kai's face didn't even crack. He didn't shake, he didn't glare, he barely even looked surprised. Velocimon felt Kai's ice-cold gaze boring into him, and he felt a bead of sweat fall down his forehead.

Velocimon shook his arm, "I'm not kidding, Kai. I'll shoot if you don't-"

Before things could get any messier, Aaron's voice broken through the trees.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

Kai and Velocimon turned to see Aaron and Eloise storming towards them, Ladomon and Colchimon winging either side of them. Colchimon took one look at the scene, before he swooped down towards Velocimon. Ladomon pleaded, "Colchimon-"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the shadow dragon rammed into the dinosaur, driving him into the ground. Velocimon coughed, but didn't resist as Colchimon leaned in closer, whispering with fury in his voice.

"I don't care what kind of bullcrap theories you have about the humans, Velocimon, but you do not point a gun at my partner."

Aaron stood over his partner. "What the hell's going on around here? I can't even trust my own partner anymore?"

Velocimon coughed again. "He's the one you can't trust, the one standing over there."

"Oh for crying out loud..." Colchimon dug in deeper, while Ladomon hovered just behind him, "Colchimon, stop! Let him speak!"

"I've had enough of this asshole and his self-righteous-"

"Hey!" Eloise stepped forward and grabbed Colchimon by both wings, pulling him away from the dinosaur. He tried to escape, but Ladomon wrapped herself around him, yelling in his ear "CALM. DOWN."

Velocimon got to his knees, before glaring at the dragon. "Are you so blind that you can't see your partner's hiding something from all of us? Even you?"

"I trust Kai!" Colchimon looked over at his partner, who was standing there, staying out of the way of the scuffle.

"Really? Is that why you've been talking to Eloise?"

"I –" Colchimon faltered, looking around himself for help.

Aaron pointed down at his partner. "Whatever your reasons, you had no right to go on the offensive like that."

In one movement, Aaron was suddenly pointing at Kai. His face was sullen; weathered by too many late nights and too much worry, and his eyes were glistening with fury. Despite this, he still looked better than Kai.

"You need to talk. Now."

Kai shrank back just a little. "I have nothing important to tell you."

"Kai, stop." Eloise walked towards him, her arms raised in defense. "All these secrets, they're tearing us apart. If we want to stay strong, we need to share whatever we know." She stood looking up into his cold blue eyes. "I have faith in you. I know you're not working for the Fire Kingdom. But you need to tell us."

Kai's stony visage fractured a little. Aaron stood stock still, still staring at him.

"What are you hiding?"

"I might be able to help, Aaron."

The current group turned to see Kent walk onto the scene, Jack, Grace and the Digimon just behind them. Kent stood in front of Kai, and held out the phone, "I don't suppose you've seen anything like this before?"

Kai looked at it for a second, before his eyes widened. He didn't speak, but his reaction was enough for Kent.

"Okay, tell me straight then." Kent's deep brown eyes burrowed into Kai's ice-blue ones, as the older boy raised his hand and pointed a steady finger at him.

"You've been transferring energy behind our backs. Special energy; the type used to give Digimon new levels of power. If that's the case, where is the energy going?"

Silence.

"Who have you been working with? Is it the Fire Kingdom?"

Velocimon folded his arms. "Well, so the truth finally comes out."

Aaron shushed his partner. Kent lowered his hand. "It's just a theory. If so, please tell me I'm wrong. Please tell me I've made some huge stupid mistake here."

Kai closed his eyes. His breathing had hastened, his chest rising and falling erratically.

Eloise grabbed his arm, shaking her head, "For God's sake, Kai, answer him! Tell us! It's not true, is it? Please!"

Kai lowered his head. "I didn't want to tell you. You didn't need to know, but it looks like I have no choice."

Aaron glared at the older boy. "Tell us. What have you been doing?"

"Yes, I've been in contact with that thing. I don't know who with, or why I can and nobody else can, but I do know it's not just energy."

Kent looked confused. "What? But…the Digimon told me that soul was the evolution energy we gave to our partners. Of course it's energy."

"Yes, it is. But where do you think that energy comes from?"

Eloise stepped back. "I don't understand…"

Kai put his hands in his pockets. "This text…it wasn't an energy transfer. It was us. The 'souls' are us, moving between worlds."

Everyone was silent. Nobody had expected this.

Aaron put two and two together in his head. "Wait, so you sent a text to someone, which led to us being transferred..."

Kai held out a gloved hand towards Kent. Hesitantly, the older boy passed over the phone. Kai gave a small smile as he read the message.

"Basically, I'm the one who brought us to the Digital World."

* * *

_It was just a message. One of those stupid pop-ups. Except, well, it seemed real somehow. Like whoever was on the other side really needed my help. Our help; the message asked for a group, but I was to make the choice. They simply asked if I accepted. I pressed yes. I saw the energy travel through, breaking through the barrier. Then, I got more messages. The date, the time, the location. I could help, I could do something right in my stupid life._

_ I went on that day, preparing myself as best I could. I was so nervous, I barely even noticed you were there, I was just waiting for it to happen. I got one final message, "Your life will never be the same. Are you sure?" I didn't even hesitate, I just sent back._

_ "I'm ready."_

* * *

Aaron remembered seeing Kai with his mobile phone back then. "And that was when the portal opened."

Kai nodded. "I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know you'd all be dragged through as well. Especially the children. I tried to help, like you did, but by the time I'd sent the text, it was already too late to turn back."

"But you were the one who persuaded us to join you. If you didn't mean us to come, why did you get us to stay?"

Kai shook his head, his eyes at the ground. "I didn't persuade you. I just didn't stop you when I should have. I guess I thought I needed your help."

The boy stood straight as a pillar, everyone else around him. The Digimon looked uncomfortably among themselves; so this was what had really happened. They shouldn't have been able to summon the humans; they didn't have enough power in the elements. So Kai had been brought in, opening the gate from the other side.

Kai struggled for a moment. "For what it's worth, and I know that's virtually nothing now...I'm sorry. I'm really...really sorry."

Eloise was shaking. "But…why?"

"I can't tell you."

"No, you don't understand." Eloise looked Kai square in the eye, eyes blazing. "Why would you do that? You…whether you meant to or not, it was your fault that we came here. You've been hiding that from the start, but...what possessed you to decide to come here?"

Kai backed away slightly. "I swear, I didn't mean-"

"Kai, you ruined my life! You ruined everyone's lives; hell, you ruined your own life!" She breathed, trying to calm herself down. "I'm sorry. Look, I don't believe you meant for all this to happen. But it was because of you that we were all sucked from out own lives into this...this god-awful war. We at least deserve to know why, and I'm sorry, but you don't get to walk away from this one!"

Velocimon got to his feet. "To be honest, I still don't buy it. You'd better give a decent answer or I'm blasting through your kneecaps.

"Don't you dare!" Colchimon squared up to Velocimon. "Whatever he's done, it's not up to you and your stupid judgement."

Velocimon turned to Colchimon. "Why the HELL are you defending him, after what he's just admitted?"

"Because no-one else is!" Colchimon whirled round, staring at Eloise. "You said earlier. He needs someone there for him! And anyway," he turned back to Velocimon, his voice steady but brimming with fury, "_you_ decided that you were going to take matters into your own hands and _threaten_ my _partner!_"

The group began to crowd around Kai as comments were thrown from every direction.

"But it's his fault! We need to know, NOW!"

"Somebody ELSE sent the message though. Somebody else is controlling the elements."

Kai stood up. "I still chose to come here. Whoever else is involved, it's my fault that we're all in this mess."

"Whoever else? Could they be in the Fire Kingdom?"

Kai glared at Velocimon, "Shut the hell up. Whatever I am, I'm not a traitor."

"How can you expect us to trust you now?"

Jack felt on the verge of breaking down. He fell to his knees, Perimon running towards his partner. Vulpimon followed, before something caught her eye, and she suddenly screeched to a halt. "Oh no..."

Jack and Grace turned to see the large, bestial Digimon walking casually towards them, completely ignoring the argument in the middle of the clearing. Vulpimon saw the giant figure for a split second, before a massive paw came seemingly out of nowhere and connected with her small body, sending her flying into a tree.

Grace screamed and fell back, the great beast flashing her a petrifying look. She lay there, shaking from the sudden brutality, but the beast simply ignored her and walked on. Grace could barely move from fear, but she turned her head and noticed her partner's limp form at the base of the tree.

"VULPIMON!"

Grace snapped outof her paralysis and ran after her partner's still body as Perimon tried to gain height. The beast didn't even bat an eyelid; in one swift moment the paw grabbed the bird round the throat, his partner too shocked to even move. Perimon, despite feeling the choking grip, managed to open his eyes and see their attacker.

"Not...now..."

Grace's horrific scream pierced through the clearing and brought everyone shouting to an abrupt halt. Wide-eyed, unable to speak, they watched the Digimon throw Perimon to the ground, before batting him towards the group like a ragdoll.

The beast walked towards them, having not even broken a sweat. It was like some sort of large lion; about six feet at the shoulder, certainly tall enough to look Kent directly in the eye. It wore bands of armour around its paws, neck and midriff; armour studded with glowing turquoise stones. Its tail tapered off into segments, and ended in a wicked-looking blade, very much like the tail of a scorpion.

It stopped, looking at every member of the group in turn. Its face was an amalgamation of lion and human, with two beady, almost bored-looking eyes. Two short horns curved up out of its shaggy mane, which enveloped its face and fell down into a beard, making it look very much like a devil. Around its midriff circled six large blue-glowing beads, a seventh of which was embedded in the middle of its forehead.

Everyone was now looking at the creature, even Grace and a barely-conscious Vulpimon from across the clearing. The beast raised itself to its full height and spoke; a deep, commanding voice that reverberated round the whole clearing.

"I am Martyaxmon; 2nd royal Commander of the Fire Kingdom and loyal servant to General Surtremon." He licked his lips, relishing this moment much more than he'd anticipated.

"I believe I am also known around this region as the Red Beast."

The group slowly bunched together as Martyaxmon began to circle around them, almost as if he were stalking them, working out which one of them to pounce on.

The manticore smiled, almost lazily so.

"I've been meaning to have a little talk with you..."

* * *

_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	10. Episode 10: Ruptured Bonds

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 10: Ruptured Bonds

* * *

Slowly, threateningly, the manticore circled all around the group, never taking his eyes off them. The group bunched closer together, Jack hiding behind the others. Vulpimon and Perimon were struggling to get to their feet; Martyaxmon's brief assault had knocked them about pretty badly, but they were determined to stay between him and their partners.

Martyaxmon turned and faced them directly. He almost seemed bored.

"You know, you've been causing me a great many problems since you've arrived here. I don't appreciate taking the flak for your interfering."

Eloise looked the beast in the eye, trying not to reveal how much she was shaking. "I can assure you, we meant nothing personal by being dragged here against our will." At the last part she shot a quick glare towards Kai.

Martyaxmon simply humphed and sat on his haunches. He licked his lips in consideration.

"I wish to know a few things before I get rid of you. I suggest you answer me quickly and truthfully."

Perimon coughed, before squaring up to the group's adversary. "Suppose we've got nothing to tell you?"

"I'm afraid you misunderstand," Martyaxmon smiled, keeping up the polite façade. "I'm not asking for your cooperation. I simply need answers. There are many ways I can get them but it would be easier for you if you just answer me."

Perimon was about to decline, but Velocimon stepped forward himself.

"So can we assume that you do know something about the strange goings on around here?"

Martyaxmon raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was asking the questions." He considered for a moment. "If you're referring to the Asuramon, then yes, I was aware of the incident. But that also tells me that you've had close contact as well."

Aaron looked uneasy. "With what exactly?"

Martyaxmon licked his lips, again considering the query. "You may not recognise it, so there's no point in me telling you." The beast glanced to the side. "See, it's much easier on both of us when we exchange information like this."

From behind the main group, Kai furrowed his brow. "I don't see that we have a lot of choice here. You seem to know an awful lot about us."

Martyaxmon squinted, trying to get a better view of Kai. "Ah yes, the outsider. You've been quite the enigma, haven't you? I dare say you still have information that would be helpful to me."

Kai glared at the manticore, who merely shrugged. "It can wait. But there is one thing I am particularly interested in right now."

Martyaxmon flexed his tail, before straightening up, maintaining his professional look.

"The relic. You found it. Where is it?"

The children looked amongst themselves. "What do you mean, the relic?"

"Oh come on, you're not that ignorant." Martyaxmon sighed. "The mask. Karatenmon's last message. That relic. You found it, and it might be very useful to the Fire Kingdom." His voice was monotone, almost as if he were giving a brief as opposed to threatening the last hope for the Digital World.

None of the humans or their partners said a word. Velocimon kept his face completely emotionless; only he knew where the thing was right now. Martyaxmon noticed the defiance in their eyes and rolled his own.

"I can tell what you're thinking. Okay, let's look at this. The six of you in Rookie form were able to maim my colleague. I can assure you he wasn't happy about that, but that's not important. Anyway, you are now all able to reach the Champion level. You've also been training, thus you've grown in strength even more."

Martyaxmon waited for his lecture to sink in, before carrying on.

"Okay, now let's look at the flipside. Firstly, you don't own the concentrated forms of the Elements anymore, so you can't just power yourselves up like that. Secondly, I am both much stronger than my aquatic colleague, and also much more suited to this terrain. And lastly..." At this he scrutinised the humans, watching their reactions. "To fight at your best, you need to transfer your will to your partners, right? But I've seen you over the past few days. Your will's been sapped; you feel there's no way you can win. Of course, it doesn't help with all the discord you've been sowing amongst yourselves."

The manticore stretched, before standing up and looking down on the assembled group.

"I must thank you, actually. You've made my job easier than it needs to be. But I really should get down to business. You have no hope in fighting against me. Either you get me the relic, or I'll find it myself. It would be easier if you co-operate."

Martyaxmon waited for the response. His face showed no emotion, he simply sat and stared. Perimon looked at Velocimon, shaking his head. Velocimon himself looked doubtful. What on earth were they supposed to do?

Aaron felt his heart pumping furiously against his chest. Whichever way you looked at it, they all seemed totally screwed. He was pretty sure that whatever any of them did, this creature would get what he wanted. And yet...

He felt the D-Nexus pressing against his thigh, as well as the rubber band around his left wrist. This wasn't right. He felt himself walking slowly forward, fists clenched, legs shaking. No matter what they'd all been through, humans and Digimon, they all had a world to protect and they all had a home to get back to. As helpless as he felt, he'd be damned if he was going to let this oversized kitten walk all over him.

D-Nexus in hand, he looked the manticore square in the eye.

"We're not going to hand it over. And I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not letting you wander around doing whatever the hell you want without a fight. Whatever we've been through, we're still a team, and we were brought here to kick your fiery asses back to hell!"

He glanced behind him; the others, while still uncertain, nodded determinedly as they prepared their own D-Nexus's. At their feet, the Digimon braced themselves.

Aaron looked back at the red beast, who was patiently listening. "Besides, you've told us just what we need to know. So long as we have the will, we have the power, right? Don't think you can count us out just yet."

Martyaxmon waited for Aaron to finish, then chuckled to himself. "I was hoping it might come to this, actually." He stood up, his rosary spinning ever so slightly faster, a faint excitement burning in his eyes.

"Very well, I'm game."

Aaron's heart was in his mouth. "Here goes..."

Every human swung their arms as one, the energy coursing through them, making their D-Nexuses glow brightly.

"Primal Control!" they shouted in unison, and all of a sudden the air around them was filled with flying colours, swirling and twisting, making their way towards their waiting partners.

"Evolution Activate!"

The six partners fanned out as the changes took hold of them. Martyaxmon watched as their small bodies grew, smirked at their unrivaled defiance. Within seconds, he was surrounded by six determined Champions. Luminemon and Mistramon hovered above him, talons bared, while the swift Alopemon had moved round behind him, busy charging her ice powers. To his left Seismon swung his spear menacingly, while to his right hovered Achromon, swinging his bladed tail almost lazily as he prepared to strike. In front of him, Galvamon stood steadfast, his blades unsheathed and his eyes full of fury.

Martyaxmon simply shrugged. "I see. Then let us begin."

The humans didn't waste any time as their partners closed in.

"Pressure Wave!"

"Photon Cannon!"

"Abyssal Beam!"

With a single fluid motion, Martyaxmon broke the circle of Champions, easily dodging the incoming attacks. He hopped slightly as he felt the vestiges of Mistramon's attack, but he quickly righted himself and turned to face the others.

"If you're going to waste my time like this, at least be somewhat entertaining."

With a roar, Galvamon leapt forward, lightning bolts dancing around his bladed hands. He slashed at the lion, who just kept skipping backwards, all the while keeping the same bored expression on his face. Galvamon was furious, "Fight me, you scum!"

Martyaxmon made another leap out of the way, making Galvamon's attack swing wild. "Come now, general. As a soldier it's your job to set an example. Language like that is unprofessional."

The manticore frowned as he felt a cold breeze from behind him. He turned his head to see Alopemon running towards him, preceded by several incoming icicles. He growled as the projectiles hit him, the ice spreading across his fur.

Galvamon wasted no time; he brought his claws forward and grabbed a hold of Martyaxmon's horns, before slamming his head to the ground.

"You don't have the right to call me general. You don't deserve to call yourself a soldier. You're merely a monster, nothing else!

"Galvamon, calm down!" Luminemon and Achromon hovered above the dinosaur, Achromon having just spoke. "We can't let him get to us."

Martyaxmon began to shuffle, so Luminemon dived in quickly, her wings glowing. "White Lightning!" she cried as tendrils of light erupted from her wings, binding the great beast to the ground.

There were several icy impacts as Alopemon continued her own ranged assault, the ice spreading across Martyaxmon like a cocoon. In a few seconds, he seemed completely bound to the ground.

Mistramon flew overhead. "We've got him! Hit him with all we've got!" He flew down, preparing to attack himself. Around him, the others charged up their own attacks.

Within his casing, Martyaxmon smiled gently. He could handle a little pain if it meant he could play with these fools a little more.

With a roar of his own he reared up onto his hind legs, swinging Galvamon behind him, straight into the path of the oncoming Alopemon. The two crashed to the ground together, and Mistramon, caught off guard, tried to bank upwards. Martyaxmon noticed him and leapt into the air, grabbing the bird's tail in his mouth. Mistramon screamed as he was sent spiralling away, his tail now adorning several tooth wounds.

The manticore landed again, only to find Seismon standing right in front of him, arm raised.

"Earth Cannon!"

Martyaxmon ducked and the attack flew over him, nearly crashing into Achromon. The beast laughed openly, showing three full rows of sharp, human-like teeth.

"You must be new to the world of combat. I've seen you fight; your style is archaic. Obvious. You need to learn to catch your enemies by surprise."

Seismon nodded, his hands glowing green. "Like this?"

He brought his hands forward, letting off punches of green energy, like the time he'd fought the Asuramon. However, he was caught off guard by Martyaxmon's bulk slamming into him, sending him sprawling. The insect tried to raise his hands in defense, but they were suddenly swatted away by some heavy projectile.

Seismon barely had time to duck as one of Martyaxmon's beads came flying towards his head. Another one managed to hit him in the shoulder; its weight deceptively heavy. He was sent spinning, and the bead arced back to its owner.

The manticore smiled. "Always keep your opponent guessing. I may not have hands like you, but I can still provide heavy blows myself."

His speech was cut short by Galvamon, Achromon and Alopemon coming from behind him, slashing and swiping at him themselves. He jumped back from Achromon's claw, taunting them all the way.

"My, we are getting desperate, aren't we?"

With a swift movement, he brought his bladed scorpion tail down, the point slicing into Achromon's wing. Beneath his helmet, the black wyrm gritted his teeth at the pain. The trio was quickly knocked back by another barrage of Martyaxmon's beads.

Galvamon swore under his breath. "He hasn't even thrown a single proper attack yet."

Out of nowhere, Mistramon flew overhead, yelling "Spiral Force!"

The bird flipped over in mid-air, the trail of red energy emanating from his tail slicing downwards. Galvamon had to push the wounded Achromon out of the way as Mistramon's attack swung past, just missing Martyaxmon. Alopemon yelled upwards. "Are you crazy? You could have hit us?"

Mistramon flew backwards, not looking back. "You know, I think we have bigger concerns than each other at the moment.

Achromon put his claws together, spreading his wings. "In that case, we'll just have to go all out."

Around the manticore, the Champions got to their feet, charging their attacks to the limit.

"Charge Bolt!"

"Icicle Barrage!"

"White Lightning!"

"Seismic Shards!"

"Pressure Wave!"

"Darkfire Pulse!"

* * *

Staying away from the battle as much as they could, the humans were still forced to duck as waves of black fire, chunks of rock and bolts of lightning came flying from all directions, ricocheting off of each other and turning the clearing into a literal bullet hell. Eloise held her hand to her mouth. "They're crazy...they're going to kill each other at this rate!"

Kent turned on her. "Well, what do you suggest we do? Run in ourselves and stop this battle?"

"Kent, not now..."

"Well, what?" Kent was glaring at the battle scene, as Martyaxmon jumped around, barely hit by the multitude of projectiles. "I don't want to see Trilomon get smashed to pieces here. Not again."

"None of us want that, Kent." Aaron stared at the battle as the mass of projectiles began to thin out. "All we can do right now is watch."

Kent muttered under his breath. "You brought us into this."

He whirled round, pointing at Kai. "Actually, I tell a lie. _You_ brought us into this. I hope you're happy."

Kai said nothing, only looking back at the older boy. Jack ducked as a tiny shard of bone flew above his head. "Guys, don't start fighting now..."

"Shut up, Jack, you don't understand."

"Hey!" Kent suddenly had Eloise turning on him. "What is your problem? No matter how stressed you are, now isn't the time to be picking fights with everyone."

Seismon knew something was wrong when he saw the glow around his hands subsiding. One by one, the barrage of attacks stopped as the Champion levels felt their energy draining away.

Achromon flapped his wings, in an attempt to release more shadow fire. "What's going on?"

Martyaxmon, catching his breath for a second, smiled. His fur had been nicked by the multitude of hits he'd taken, but he seemed barely slowed by the onslaught.

"It seems you're already beginning to fall into discord, whether you like it or not. Without the co-operation of your partners, you're nothing."

Lazily, he looked over at the humans, who were listening to his every word.

"I've grown bored of this current battle. Besides, I'm interested to see how far I can take this." With a sinister grin he smiled back at Galvamon. "What do you think, general? Should I bring your partners into the mix?"

Galvamon scrambled to his feet, blades at the ready, "You son of a-"

He was silenced by Martyaxmon's tail slamming into him, knocking him to the ground. Around him, the others began to ready their attacks again. Martyaxmon sighed, "I'm sorry, I need you all to stay down for a couple of seconds.

He slowly reared up, a faint red aura swirling around his forepaws. Before anyone could move, he fell back down to the ground, his paws making contact with the solid earth.

"Crimson Wrath!"

A wave of fire flew out from beneath his feet, expanding out into the clearing and up into the sky above him. It hit all the partners square on, sending them flying away, before it dissipated, leaving a circle of scorched earth and burning pillars in its wake. The Champions were downed, barely moving, their bodies burned by the attack.

Amid the chaos, Martyaxmon turned and walked slowly towards the children. Flames danced in his eyes as he watched the group back away from him.

Aaron swallowed. "You...you monster..."

Martyaxmon huffed. "They'll probably be fine." He lowered his head, his grin showing far too many teeth for one mouth.

"They'll be okay. But you won't be. Not when I include you in this magnificent purge of all your last hopes. So follow my advice."

He stopped before them, his paws glowing again. He reared up like a stallion, the fire growing behind him.

"Run! Scatter now! Save yourselves!"

The group broke apart, as everyone ran from the maniacally laughing monster. Terrified, Grace looked around, trying to see Jack, but he'd already long disappeared into the undergrowth. Eloise yelled out into the forest. "Don't you see? He's splitting us apart! We've got to stay together!"

Her words fell on deaf ears all around her. She heard the beast's cruel words and felt the heat from his flames closing in behind her. Against her inner judgement, she ran.

* * *

Kent found himself being hampered more and more by the forest as it got steadily thicker. He ducked behind a tree trunk, quietly cursing to himself. The three moons were full in the sky and he could feel the cold light they pasted over him. Breathing heavily, he looked around for any sign of movement.

"Damnit, Seismon, where are you?"

He remembered his D-Nexus, and quickly pulled up his partner's stats screen. The insect's health and power were both heavily depleted, but they were both stable for now. He sighed in relief; at least his partner was alive for the moment.

A rustle came from behind him, and he jumped, peering round to get a better view. He was trying to focus, but he couldn't keep his head clear. Martyaxmon really had chosen the wrong time to attack, what with everyone blowing up at one another. He realised that he hadn't been too helpful himself.

Still keeping an ear out, he raised the D-Nexus to his mouth, remembering Pteramon's words about contacting the others.

"Seismon...I...Where are y-?"

His plea for help was cut short as Martyaxmon charged through the forest next to him, before turning and regarding him with cold, glowing eyes. Kent thought about running, but his legs wouldn't move.

Partially hidden in the shadows, Martyaxmon smiled.

"You think you can get away from me just by running?"

Martyaxmon stepped forward, beads swirling gently around him. At his full height he was able to look Kent dead in the eye.

Kent swallowed, trying to collect himself. All he needed to do was think this through logically, right? The beast was right; running wouldn't get him anywhere, and there was no sense panicking. He cleared his throat, trying to sound more in control than he felt.

"I...I don't know who you are, or anything about you. But I get the sense you're not here to kill me."

Martyaxmon raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? What makes you so sure about that?"

"It's a logical conclusion." Kent coughed, feeling the heat emanating from Martyaxmon standing so close to him. "I've heard you've been holding your forces around this whole forest. If you wanted us dead, wouldn't you have done so before now? Hell, you even said you'd leave us alone if we gave you the mask." He noticed Martyaxmon eying him as he mentioned the relic, "For the record, I don't know where it is, so it's no good asking me anyway."

Martyaxmon chuckled. "Look at you, so wrapped up in your world of logic and facts. You think you can take on anything this world has to offer if you simply look it straight in the eye. However, I'm afraid it doesn't work like that."

Kent shrank back a little. "What are you trying to do?" He gripped his D-Nexus ever tighter, praying that Seismon had heard his message.

The manticore licked his lips. "Take a look at what you've done here. You keep trying to find some area of this world that you can control, that works the way you want it to. I saw you messing with the very code of the Digital World, all because you want to truly know something here."

Kent felt more and more uneasy as the beast's words bored into him. "I destroyed my laptop. I...I'm not touching the code again..."

"I remember. As soon as you lose control, you panic. That's why you can't handle it here. You can never accept something so different from you."

"No, I..."

Martyaxmon carried on, seeing he was getting to the boy. "You lose control and you run away. You're afraid of what you don't understand."

Kent slid down against the tree, Martyaxmon's gaze following him. He felt the whole forest pressing on him; the whole, unfamiliar forest in this unfamiliar world.

"It makes me wonder, Kent. Are you really so prepared to fight for a world you can't accept?

_I needed you. Why didn't you help me..._

"What about your comrades? Can you really lay your life on the line alongside them?"

_We were just too different, weren't we..._

Martyaxmon leaned in close, his voice still bold and commanding.

"Your partner, young Trilomon. Do you really care about him? Or would you abandon him the moment you found yourself at risk?

_Only focused on yourself. The rest of us are only human. You never cared about anyone. I needed you. Only human. Yourself. Where were you..._

"TRILOMON, WHERE ARE YOU?"

In the space of about a second, Martyaxmon had to leap back as shards of rock flew past his head. He whipped his head round, seeing Seismon advancing on him from behind, right arm raised and glowing fiercely.

"Get away from my partner you _monster!_"

Seismon fired, the green missile crashing into the ground at Martyaxmon's feet. The manticore growled as the earth erupted, shards of rock flying everywhere. He considered staying and fighting, but then he remembered there were five more children out there for him to find. Without a word, he ran off into the undergrowth.

Seismon ran over to his partner, who was pressed firmly against the tree, unable to shake his gaze.

"Kent? Kent! Oh hell, what's he done to you...?"

"What's going on?"

Seismon turned to see Galvamon rushing onto the scene, claws glowing with miniature lightning bolts. Aaron ran in behind him, his clothes all torn from pushing through the harsh undergrowth.

"What the hell happened here?"

"No time." Seismon pointed. "He's after everyone. He's trying to pull us even further apart. You need to go and stop him."

Galvamon nodded and ran off. Aaron hesitated, wanting to stay with Kent, but he quickly followed his partner. "Make sure he's okay, Seismon."

"I will. I promise."

Kent looked at his partner. "Seismon...you...you came to protect me."

"Snap out of it Kent!" The insect pulled Kent to his feet, the boy feeling a little unsteady. "You know I wouldn't just leave you."

Kent nodded. "I know. I...I know you wouldn't leave...me..."

Seismon put his hand to his mask. This was very bad.

"Come on, we've got to find the others. Follow me."

* * *

Martyaxmon powered through the thick forest, the trees providing little resistance to his assault, his breath escaping in short growls. It had been a while since he'd done much 'field work' himself; after all, he'd usually send a soldier to do the heavy stuff. He was probably getting a little complacent in his old age.

He kept the mask clear in his mind; that was the object which might just sate Rinkhalmon's strange plan and allow him to really take out these annoyances. Still, he couldn't deny that he was having just a little bit of fun. Was there really any harm from getting a little job satisfaction?

He saw a flash of blue alongside him and slowed slightly. A few metres away, a small shape ran away. Martyaxmon smiled, turned lazily and gave chase to the fleeing object.

* * *

Jack had never run so far and so fast in his life, and he knew it was taking a toll on him. His breath was ragged and his muscles were aching, but he knew he couldn't stop now. He heard the beast catching up behind him and he tried to turn, to find cover. Suddenly, he found himself in a more open part of the forest. Well, it hadn't been up until now, but although Martyaxmon was keeping his flames to a minimum, there was still the odd patch of scorched earth where there should have been trees and bracken.

Jack tried to run for cover again, but he was promptly stopped by Martyaxmon leaping out in front of him. Jack screamed and tried to back away, but Martyaxmon wasn't letting him go anywhere.

Desperate, Jack fumbled with his D-Nexus, raising it to his mouth, as he'd done before when fighting the Pipismon.

"Peri – Mistramon, can you hear me? Can you-"

He was caught off guard as Martyaxmon lunged forward, swiping at the boy's outstretched hand. Jack cried out as the device went skittering off into the undergrowth. He backed away slowly, his (luckily) only slightly-grazed hand pulled close to his chest.

"What do you plan on doing now, boy?" Martyaxmon circled him, never breaking eye contact with the shaking child.

"You appear lost. This isn't a place for the young and incapable."

Despite the fear, Jack felt a pang of anger at the beast's brutal comment.

"Hey, I can l-l-look after m-m-m-"

"Yourself? Don't fool yourself, kid." Martyaxmon walked slowly forward, forcing Jack to back away, towards the thicker forest.

"You honestly think you stand a chance here? Even with your partner, you'll never survive. You're a pathetic excuse for a human merely depending on everybody else."

"W-w-why should I listen to you? You're a bad guy; you want me to be scared, and weak."

Martyaxmon shook his head, like a disappointed teacher. "Can you really deny it, boy? You are weak, yet you try and stand up with the strong. Come danger, you will be the first to fall, and everyone else will topple around you."

"No, I-"

The manticore slammed his armoured paw on the ground, looking the terrified boy in the eye.

"Then prove it to me! Show me you're not weak!"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Martyaxmon suddenly reared up high as two sets of talons dug into his back. Mistramon flew up, trying to pull the Mega level away, but Martyaxmon merely shrugged. "You again? How tiresome."

Jack scrambled to his feet while the beast was distracted, when he saw Alopemon's sleek form enter the burned clearing from his right. Grace sat atop her partner's back, her hair matted and sweatshirt torn. Holding her D-Nexus in one hand, she called out to him.

"Run! Get out of here, now!"

Much though he wanted to stay and help his partner, Jack found himself running back towards the thick forest. He turned at the last minute, just in time to see Martyaxmon's beads slamming into his partner's body, bringing him to the ground.

"No...you can't-"

Jack's exclamation came to a halt as his right leg gave way beneath him, sending him crashing to the ground. A few metres away, Grace put her hands to her mouth. Not now...

Jack felt the pain emanating from his knee. "You STUPID..."

He twisted round, aware that Martyaxmon was looking in his direction, somewhat amused. He tried to shift himself out of the way, but every small movement he made sent the same damning pain through his kneecap. He cried out despite himself, as Martyaxmon walked over to him, looking down disapprovingly.

"I rest my case."

Before Alopemon could even move, her partner had dismounted and was running towards her injured brother. The fox started, "Hey, Grace, no!"

The fox rushed forward herself, aiming straight for the Red Beast. He noticed her coming beforehand and swiped with his scorpion tail, but she dodged it, summoning a cold aura around her tail.

"Tail Frost!" she cried as she swung the blade round, but Martyaxmon ducked and countered her return spin with a headbutt, sending her sprawling. The beast smiled and turned his attention back to Jack, only to find Grace standing in front of her brother, body shaking but eyes full of fire.

"_I won't let you hurt him."_

Martyaxmon leaned in closer. "Young lady, you might want to examine your stature before you get in my way."

She took a step back, but remained in front of her brother. A short distance away, but too far to be of any help, lay the two partners, struggling to get to their partners. Mistramon supported himself on a damaged wing as he tried to get up, "Grace, just go! Just take your brother and run!"

Martyaxmon ignored the bird. "Look at yourself, child. Do you really think anything you try and do against me is going to matter."

Grace gulped. "I saw what you were doing. You're not here to simply kill us. You're here to completely destroy us, from the inside out. That way, we'll be no threat to you." She lifted her D-Nexus, as if by some miracle that could protect her.

Martyaxmon blinked. This girl was annoyingly stubborn. "How very observant of you. Mind you, I'm really just here for the mask. If you could just hand it over, I'd happily just leave you alone. If not, I might just have to break you."

Grace shook her head. "I don't know where it is. And whatever you're planning, it's not going to work. You're not going to break us apart like this. I'm not leaving my brother!"

Martyaxmon sighed, looking at the determined young girl in front of him. For a moment he looked like he was about to speak, then he simply raised a paw and slammed it into the side of Grace's body.

It wasn't a particularly heavy hit for him, but it still sent her tumbling into the scorched earth. Alopemon, on her feet again, yelled, "YOU BASTARD!" She rushed forward, only to be downed again by another rain of Martyaxmon's beads.

Grace felt like she'd been hit with a cannonball. She moved slightly, still clutching the device, for all the good it would do her. A sharp pain rocketed through her arm where she'd been struck, and she coughed.

Jack tried again to get up, ignoring his still unconnected knee. "Grace, just run! Just-"

Suddenly he was roughly pinned down by one of Martyaxmon's massive paws. He felt the pressure on his chest and he began to panic, looking at the creature's indifferent eyes. Lazily, the manticore looked towards Grace, who was struggling to get up herself.

"You're actually right. I'm not here to kill you. However, I have no orders about letting you go unharmed."

Grace's eyes widened, seeing her brother squirm under Martyaxmon's paw. "You...let him go! Jack!"  
The beast gave a chuckle. "Ha, you're both as pathetic as each other."

Tears running down her face, Grace began to plead, calling into her D-Nexus. "Aaron...Eloise...anyone, help us...please, Jack, he's..._help us_!"

Jack tried in vain to escape his prison but the manticore just pressed harder, making him cry out in pain. Martyaxmon looked at the boy's damaged leg. "That leg of yours doesn't seem to be functioning right. I wonder what would happen if I were to break it further."

Jack began to scream himself. "Get off!"

Alopemon was on her feet running forward, but Martyaxmon's beads simply held her back. Sensing Mistramon behind him, the manticore growled. "One step closer and I'll crush him."

Mistramon and Alopemon were practically shaking with anger, but they reluctantly held back, sharing desperate glances with each other.

Grace was practically screaming into the device, still trying to get to her brother despite the pain in her arm. "_Pteramon, Aaron, Kai, anyone!"_

Martyaxmon whipped his head round, his lips curled back in a snarl, his other paw hovering only inches above Jack's leg. "Face it, girl. Nobody's coming for you now. Nobody else is around to hear you cry for help."

Somebody was.

"Missile Storm!"

Martyaxmon roared as a dozen small explosions erupted from his back. In the brief second he was distracted, he lifted his paw slightly. Jack, with a desperate burst of energy, rolled clear, crying out as his leg flared up again.

The manticore prepared to pin him again, this was just the opening the others had been waiting for. The beast suddenly had to deal with an enraged Mistramon crashing into him from the side, his wings folded up, sotring energy.

"Pressure Wave!"

Alopemon ducked as the shockwave ballooned out, rustling the nearby trees. She limped as fast as she could over towards Jack, ducking down beside him. "Quick, use me and get up."

Wincing, Jack pulled himself up onto her slim body, before she ran over to her own partner. Grace was badly bruised but just able to stand, and she looked up at the sky. Up above, a familiar blue plane-like silhouette flew around, one yellow eye glinting down at her.

"He came..."

"We can't hang around. Mistramon and Pteramon will do what they can but we need to get both of away from him."

"Right." Grace got onto the fox's back herself, and, exerting herself but determined to get the children to safety, Alopemon backed away from the battle. She got a few dozen metres before she suddenly stumbled, collapsing to the ground. Her own leg had taken a fair bit of punishment, it seemed.

She quickly limped to the deeper forest before settling down, feeling the weight of the children on her back. "Sorry, doesn't look like I can get you that far after all."

Jack raised a hand, trying to ignore the pain that racked his body. "Grace...I'm sorry."

Grace felt herself tearing up again. She leaned forward and gripped her brother tightly. "What the hell are you sorry for?"

_You're both as pathetic as each other._

* * *

Another round of missiles struck Martyaxmon in the back, but he merely shrugged off the explosions, instead concentrating on subduing Mistramon before him. The mighty red eagle was holding on as best he could, but the constant amount of being struck with various claws, beads and scorpion tail was wearing his energy down yet again. It didn't help that he could barely feel Jack's energy powering him anymore. He hated not being able to be there for his partner, but he knew he couldn't just up and leave.

He grunted as he was thrown into the trees for the fifth time. Seeing Pteramon still circling up above, he called up angrily, "Hey, Robosaurus, you could come down and help!"

Pteramon called back down. "Sorry, I can't get low enough. I'll get stuck in the canopy."

Mistramon sighed. "Fine, just keep firing at him with all you've got."

Pteramon felt a pang of anger as he saw the flash of red fur beneath him, a reminder of his own violent encounter. He grinned a hateful grin, "My pleasure."

Martyaxmon leapt left and right, dodging the oncoming missiles and growling up at his airborne assailant. He rushed towards Mistramon again, who tried to escape, but found his wing being pinned by the great beast's ferocious mouth.

"Don't interfere with me. You don't stand a chance."

Without a word, Mistramon brought his head forward into Martyaxmon's, causing the manticore to fall backwards, taking a chunk of his feathers with him. Mistramon cried out in pain and tried to take to the air, but he felt something was off. Looking back at himself, he saw his long flight feathers disintegrating into iridescent particles.

"Oh snap..."

Seeing Martyaxmon looking up at him from the ground, he swooped down and put all his remaining energy into one last attack, the pink energy spiralling out from what remained of his tail.

"Spiral Force!"

The attack flew wide of Martyaxmon, although it sliced deep into the ground next to him. In a flurry of light, Mistramon was back to Perimon, and he banked sharply, trying to gain height. Martyaxmon was smiling up at him.

"Look's like you won't be bothering me anymore, you stubborn creature."

Perimon glared down at him from above. "Go to hell."

From within the deeper forest, another voice could be heard.

"Don't worry Perimon, we'll send him with an invitation."

"Photon Cannon!"

"Abyssal Beam!"

Martyaxmon flinched as black and white beams of energy struck him in the face, their source being Luminemon and Achromon from the deeper woods in front of him. Eloise and Kai stood behind their partners, willing them forward.

High in the sky, Pteramon looked over at Perimon. "You should go to your partner. He needs you."

Perimon wanted to argue, but decided that the ancient bird had a point. He wasn't going to make a difference in his current state. He swooped down, the same way Alopemon had gone, while calling behind him, "Don't you dare let him get away."

Down below, Achromon and Luminemon were doing their best to dodge Martyaxmon's attacks, but the manticore was still going strong. Eloise clenched her fist, "Is there nothing we can do to win?"

"Don't give up now. We can't..." Beside her, Kai felt completely helpless.

Martyaxmon sensed the presence of the two humans and turned his attention on them, keeping the light and shadow dragons at bay.

"So, you're the receivers of Darkness and Light. How quaint; they really thought you humans were ready for this power."

He was temporarily silenced by Achromon's claws locking themselves around his throat, the black wyrm looking into his adversary's eyes with pure rage.

"Your words won't work here, monster. Not while we've got you in our sights."

"Oh. Really?"

A swift move from Martyaxmon sent Achromon spiralling away through the air. The manticore landed and began to laugh.

"This is the legacy of the two most powerful of the Elements? What can you do against me?"

Luminemon flew towards him, wings glowing, but Martyaxmon downed her with one precise paw.

"Luminemon, no!" Eloise called out to her partner, who was slowly getting to her feet. The girl felt her insides turn to ice as she watched the two dragons getting slowly but surely beaten down by the mighty creature. These were the ones who had taken down SkullGreymon, and yet they may as well have been attacking Martyaxmon with water pistols for all the damage it was doing.

They couldn't win this. There was nothing they could do to hold him off.

She turned towards Kai, only to gaze in shock at the boy's reaction. Kai gripped his D-Nexus tightly, his lips curled back in an inhuman snarl.

"Kill him, Achromon. Don't let him get out alive, no matter what."

"Kai, they can't..."

"I don't care." Kai's voice was as flat as always, but Eloise could feel the fury emanating from her comrade. Achromon could obviously feel it too; he winced under his helmet as Kai's anger hit him.

Despite the best efforts of the twin dragons, and Pteramon flying above, Martyaxmon could not be downed. He carried on speaking as he fought.

"Well, children? Do you honestly think you can make a difference here? Look at your partners. Look around you. It doesn't matter what lengths you go to, this world is going to _burn!_"

"_You're_ _wrong!"_

Eloise flinched at the sudden ferocity of Kai's voice. She watched as he stood yelling at the beast, hunched over like some wild animal.

"This world is going to be purged of monsters like you. I'll see to it myself if I have to. You've caused so much suffering here. I'll see to it myself that your kind is brought your due judgement."

Eloise turned on him. "What is wrong with you? Look at our Digimon, Kai! We can't beat him!"

"Don't you back down on me now!" Kai turned on her, his hair sticking up in angry spikes. Over on the battleground, Luminemon and Achromon felt the discord between their partners yet again, draining them of power.

"I'm not-"

Kai ignored his friend. "Have you even seen what's been going on here? I don't know what you're thinking, but we can't just let him go, not when he's destroyed so many lives."

"I don't want to just 'let him go', Kai! I'm in the same position you are, we all are. But think about it; we can't beat him like this."

"I won't let a monster roam free, _Eloise_. I won't let you just leave this world to burn, either." There was a wild look in the boy's eye as he opened his arms wide. "We received the power to save this world, it's time we used it! So don't you dare leave this world to _die_!"

Eloise snapped.

"You're acting crazy, Kai! You know what, I never asked to come here. As far as I remember, that was _your_ choice."

"So you do want to just leave?" Kai laughed a short, harsh chuckle. "It figures. You know what, yes, I did choose to bring others here. I didn't know who you were at the time; I had no idea you and Aaron would be among them. ButI saw what was happening here and knew I had to come and fight. At the time I honestly didn't care if it meant others would suffer. I'm fighting to get rid of evil. Right now I don't see you fighting for the right cause."

Luminemon cried out as the anger rocketed through her body. She fired another laser at Martyaxmon, leaving a massive crater where he'd just been standing.

"You've got to stop now! This energy...it's not right! Stop fighting!"

Eloise didn't hear her partner; with fury in her eyes she brought up her hands and grabbed Kai by the coat, slamming him into a nearby tree.

"_Don't you dare, Kai." _She stared furiously into his eyes, her own gaze being met by one of utter contempt. "I've fought alongside the others since I got here. I seem to remember you running away, hiding from battle like a coward."

"Let go."

"Believe it or not, I'm fighting for the same thing as you, Kai. But I'm not trying to get my partner or anyone else killed in the process."

Kai swallowed as Eloise pushed harder. "Let me go, Eloise."

"No. Not until you calm the hell down."

"_Let me go..."_

In her rage, Eloise slammed the boy against the tree, her hands shaking. "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, DAMNIT!"

She stopped, watching as Kai's head bowed down. Achromon felt something change in his energy. He shoved Martyaxmon away and looked over at Kai, but all he saw was a completely black aura smothering his partner.

"You...what are you..."

"_I'm here to kill these monsters, Eloise."_

He opened his eyes. Eloise saw shadows dancing in his icy irises.

_"I'm sorry, but you're in my way."_

In one movement, he threw the girl from him. She landed roughly next to him, her head knocking against the hardened earth. Dazed, she looked up as he stepped forward, putting a hand to his head. Eloise stared at him, shaking. She could taste blood in the corner of her mouth, where she'd hit the ground.

"Kai, you...you bastard...what are you..."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai looked down at her, lying on the ground, backing away from him. His head felt like it was spinning out of control, but through his swirling vision he could see the abject terror on his friend's face. His eyes widened. He reached out his hand, the horror of what he'd done hitting him like a cannonball to the gut. Black and white spun around him, thoughts and memories that he couldn't control. Couldn't stop. Wooden rail. Broken glass. A blue bird striking down a yellow one in mid flight, bringing it to the ground, shattering its tiny body.

He'd lost control. He'd hurt one of his friends. He...he was just...

With a scream that ricocheted through the entire forest, Kai threw his hands over his head and collapsed to his knees. Eloise flinched and the battling parties looked over in his direction. Achromon called his name and went to fly over, but something was wrong. He looked down at himself, and saw that he wasn't Achromon anymore. He was Colchimon. All his energy had gone.

No, not just gone. Colchimon could feel nothing coming from his partner; no power, no emotion, no anything. It was as if his partner had just ceased to exist. Looking over, he could only see a shadowy aura swirling around Kai's shaking body. Kai himself was backing towards the forest, panicking from some invisible force.

"No, I can't! Not now! It's...it's not meant to happen...no, go away!"

Martyaxmon frowned. "Well, that was unexpected." He turned his head, looking towards the white wyvern, who was staring over at the scene with a terrified look on her face.

"Unexpected, but perhaps not unhelpful..."

In a flash he'd grabbed onto Luminemon by the throat, pinning her down. She writhed, trying to pull the manticore away with tendrils of light, but without the support of Achromon, added to the lack of sunlight, she had virtually no energy to call on.

Colchimon slashed in vain at the Mega, but Martyaxmon just ignored his attacks. In his jaws, Luminemon began to flicker and shimmer, her data losing form.

"Let her go!"

Martyaxmon leapt out of the way as green pellets and yellow lasers shot out of the forest, closely followed by Seismon, Galvamon and their two partners. Martyaxmon sighed. "Haven't you given up yet?"

Aaron yelled at the beast. "No, we're not just letting you go. Galvamon!"

Galvamon ran forward, closely followed by Seismon, but the insect suddenly stopped, turning back to his partner. "Kent, what now-"

Kent was staring around at the scene. He saw Jack and Grace, lying injured on top of an exhausted Alopemon. He saw Perimon and Colchimon looking on helplessly, no energy left to carry on fighting. He saw Kai having some sort of panic attack, and Eloise hunched over him, her face full of fear. In the middle of it all stood the catalyst; Martyaxmon, still without a scratch after all this time.

Kent stepped back, clutching his head. "I don't know what to do..."

Seismon felt a horrible feeling as his partner began to slip into utter terror. He turned back, "Kent, you can't! I need to stay evolved! Trust me, I can help, but you need to have faith!"

"You don't understand...I can't help them...I don't know how to help them..."

Kent was shaking his head, overwhelmed by the horror around him. Seismon reached out towards him, but his hand disintegrated in front of him, the rest of his body quickly following suit.

"KENT! NO!"

The boy fell back to the ground, the now-powerless Trilomon running towards him. Kent was murmuring to himself.

"There's nothing we can do. Not anymore."

"Oh, Kent..."

Martyaxmon raised his paw as Ladomon lay choking, Colchimon quickly dragging her to safety. Aaron and Galvamon glared at him as he turned to face them directly, an unimpressed look on his face.

"Look around you, general. There's nothing else you can do. No other way you can fight me. So just hand over the mask and I'll leave you for now."

Galvamon gritted his teeth. "Never. Not after hanging on this long." He raised an electrified blade, the bolts crackling as he passed it through the air.

"It's just you and me. One on one."

* * *

Colchimon managed to drag Ladomon over to Eloise, who held her partner in her arms as she knelt beside Kai. Colchimon nudged his partner, who was still breathing heavily, his skin paler than ever.

"Please mate, snap out of it."

Eloise gave the dragon a fearful look. "It was horrific. I don't know what, but...he changed. Something happened, he tried to get you to kill that thing, he-"

Colchimon nodded. "I know. I felt it." He looked sadly at his partner. "I wish I knew what's going on."

Gradually, Kai relaxed, pulling himself up. Colchimon felt a brief feeling of relief as he felt his partner's spirit once again. Although, he figured, it wouldn't be enough to evolve again, and he wouldn't be much help if he could.

Kai looked down at himself, then at Colchimon, then at Eloise. His eyes fell up her terrified face and the cut on her lip, and he hastily turned away.

"I'm sorry..."

Eloise wiped her chin and shook her head. Now wasn't the time.

* * *

Galvamon swung his arm in a wide arc, the bolts jumping from him to Martyaxmon, but the beast barely registered what he was doing. Nonetheless Galvamon carried on, holding surprisingly well against the Mega. He fired off a volley of lasers before swinging himself round, his bladed tail clanging into Martyaxmon's armour. THe beast swiped at him, sending him rolling away, but he quickly recovered, bringing his fists together with a click.

"Charge Bolt!"

The tendrils of electricity scoured the battle area, a few finding their target. However, before they could converge on the manticore, he was already running towards Galvamon, swinging his tail downwards. The blade sliced downwards, breaking Galvamon's circuit and sending him stumbling backwards. The lizard held up his left hand, seeing that the metal bands had been cracked and scorched.

The beast began mocking him again, "Your technique is flashy but your positioning is sloppy, general."

Martyaxmon landed and struck out with his tail, the bladed penetrating Galvamon's left hand. Galvamon roared and pulled away, clutching his hand close to his chest. Martyaxmon rushed at him, but the nimble dinosaur leapt up and delivered a kick to the manticore's head, sending him veering in another direction.

Martyaxmon swerved and glared at Galvamon. "For crying out loud, just stop it! How are you even still going?"

Galvamon glanced towards his partner, who was standing right behind him, not ready to give up anytime soon. He felt Aaron's energy flowing through him, giving him enough power for his attacks.

He charged up a gauntlet, pointing it straight at Martyaxmon, "I guess our bonds aren't as weak as you think they are, _commander_."

"Strike Thunder!"

It was only a single beam, but somehow it managed to connect with Martyaxmon's head. The manticore growled, shaking his mane as the electricity scorched it, but, to the dismay of everybody watching, he merely shook off the attack. Even a direct hit couldn't touch this guy.

Martyaxmon's paws glowed red for a second time, and he reared up. "If I can't break your spirits then I can still burn you to the ground! Crimson Wrath!"

The wave of fire, smaller but still deadly, spread out through the forest. Galvamon grabbed his partner and hid behind a tree, the slight dampness providing minimal protection. Others weren't so lucky; the humans were mainly out of range, but the blast still got Perimon, Ladomon, Colchimon and Alopemon, who turned her body in an effort to protect the two youngest children.

The wave subsided and the damage could be seen; with the barely conscious bodies of the partners (except for Galvamon), strewn out across the battlefield. Vulpimon, lying on her side, raised a paw, still feeling the burning sensation from the wave passing over her. "That's going to hurt in the morning."

Galvamon and Aaron, still undeterred, stood defiant. Martyaxmon prepared to launch another attack, when suddenly something caught his eye. Quick as a flash, he leapt into some of the exposed undergrowth, Galvamon following his movements.

"What's he doing?"

Then it hit him. Out of all the places they could have chosen to battle, this was the one where...

"So, this is where you were hiding it, general."

Mask clutched in one great paw, Martyaxmon strolled out, surveying all before him. "I'll be taking this, if you don't mind."

"No!" Galvamon rushed forward, his good claw ready to strike, but Martyaxmon, tired of the theatrics, merely grounded him with a quick strike and a few hits from his orbiting rosary. The dinosaur coughed, his body severely beaten and barely holding form. The manticore huffed and turned to leave.

"You won't win, Commander."

The beast looked back and saw Aaron, still standing, still resisting his power. The boy's arms and legs had been cut and scratched to no end, his hair was matted and he was breathing erratically, but he was still trying to fight? Martyaxmon had to give him some credit; he was a determined little git.

"Go home, kid. There's nothing left for you to do here. If you had any sense you'd leave the Digital World to us."

Aaron shook his head. "Not after what I've seen. Not while there's still an enemy like you."

All around him, the rest of the group watched as their leader tried desperately to resist, but it was clear to them that this wasn't going to happen. They had lost.

Martyaxmon shook his head. "You think I'm merely another enemy for you to defeat? You think you can defeat me with the combined power of your will or some crap like that?"

His response was interrupted by another barrage of missiles coming down from above. The beast looked up, and groaned inwardly. That infernal fossil Pteramon was still here as well.

He shrugged. "Maybe you'll understand if I show you the full power of the Fire Kingdom."

Without saying a word, he moved his beads into a circle in front of him, which began to rotate, a bright light forming in the centre. The surrounding humans and partners watched in horror as they felt the energy emanating from the charging weapon. The light spread out, and in one quick movement, Martyaxmon angled the disc upwards, pointing towards Pteramon.

Grace called into her D-Nexus, "Pteramon, watch out!"

"**Rosary Cyclone!**"

The blast was phenomenal. A vast spiralling beam of energy shot up into the sky, as if it was trying to shoot down the moon. Pteramon, moving only just in time, was still knocked completely off course by the beam and he spun, armoured body smoking from the heat, into the canopy below. The blast wilted the trees around it and sliced clean through the trees in front of it, burning so thoroughly that there wasn't even enough wood left for flames.

The blast stopped, Martyaxmon's rosary returning to its original orbit. Aghast, Aaron looked up through the gaping hole in the canopy, at the three moons beyond. Then he looked back at Martyaxmon. The beast was expressionless; merely looking at him, as if waiting for him to respond.

Aaron's shoulders sagged, his arms hanging limp. He felt like all the energy had been sucked out of his body and fired up into the sky with that blast. In front of him, Galvamon's body shattered instantly, leaving Velocimon lying powerless on the ground.

Martyaxmon smiled. Then he turned, and walked off into the deep undergrowth, Aaron staring after him.

* * *

The forest was silent. In a time that felt almost like an aeon, the group managed to pull themselves into the new clearing (the battle had managed to enlarge it quite a bit). Nobody knew quite what to say. Kai was standing aloof, looking up to the moons.

"I'm going."

Aaron turned to him, his face looking grey and sullen in the moonlight. "No. You're not going anywhere. Not after whatever the hell just happened here."

Kai smirked, a humourless smile across his face. "I'm sorry. To be honest, it couldn't be a worse time. But I can't stay here." He looked around him, his gaze settling on Eloise. She stared back, her eyes still showing the fear she felt that time.

"I can't stay with you. Any of you."

Without a word, he ran off into the forest, away from the direction Martyaxmon had gone. Aaron called after him, "WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Eloise grabbed Aaron by the shoulder.

"Let him go."

Aaron looked at his childhood friend, and she shook her head solemnly.

"Let's just go back to the settlement."

Reluctantly, the group began to head back, supporting each other the best they could. They'd all taken a heavy beating, humans and Digimon alike, and nobody was in the mood to even talk. In the end, only Eloise, Ladomon and Colchimon were left in the clearing. Colchimon was staring after his long-gone partner. Ladomon nudged him, and he looked at her with sad, confused eyes.

"I don't know what to do, Ladomon."

Eloise and Ladomon shared glances. They knew what had to happen now.

Ladomon wrapped herself around him tightly, tears in her eyes. "Go to your partner, Colchimon."

"But Ladomon, will you be-"

Eloise rubbed the shadow dragon's head. "She'll be fine. We all will. Just promise me that you'll look after Kai, won't you?"

Colchimon looked up into the smiling face of the girl of Light. He didn't want to leave his lifelong soul-mate, but he couldn't just leave Kai out there to fend for himself either.

The dragon hovered up to Eloise and rubbed himself against her, feeling her tears on his smooth skin.

"Goodbye, Eloise. Goodbye Ladomon."

Hesitantly, he turned and flew away after his partner, the girl and the white serpent watching until he'd vanished.

Eloise rubbed her eyes, feeling the dirt and the pain all over her body.

"Keep him safe for me, Colchimon."

With a gentle nudge, she and her partner headed back to the settlement.


	11. Episode 11: The Snare

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 11: The Snare

* * *

Rain splattered against the ground, making a tapping noise against the tent canvas and dripping down onto the two figures inside, much to their annoyance.

"Can you stand?"

Aaron held out his hand as Jack hoisted himself up, his bad leg shaking. It was a wonder he could move at all, given how much he'd been thrown around by his confrontation with the manticore. Thank heavens for fast digital healing, Aaron thought to himself, although Jack's knee was still somewhat swollen, and there was an ugly purple mark from where he'd twisted it harshly.

Shaking a little, Jack got to his feet. He tapped his foot, then moved the leg around a little.

"I think it's okay. Feels a little weird though. A bit lumpy."

Aaron scratched his chin. "Hmm. You probably ought to rest for a little while longer. Just to make sure."

Jack pouted, but lowered himself back down to the makeshift bed the group had made out of some spare tent canvas they'd found. He manually repositioned his leg, wincing slightly as he felt a dull ache. Then he lay back, looking up at Aaron with large, almost puppy-like eyes.

"This sucks, Aaron."

Aaron was about to respond, but Jack turned away from him, trying to get some more rest. Aaron sighed, and stood to his full height, blinking as the sun got in his eyes.

"Yeah, I know."

The boy glanced over to where Eloise was, as she pulled her head out of a tent, shaking it at Aaron and putting a finger to her lips. Grace was obviously still asleep, Vulpimon curled up against her delicate body, keeping her as warm as her thin pelt would allow. She'd been close to collapsing when they'd gotten back to camp, but Eloise had done what she could for the girl's injuries (a sprained wrist and several bruises on her left arm), then had pretty much ordered her to stop panicking and rest. Grace had resisted, but by this point pretty much everybody was close to collapsing.

It had been nearly a week since then, and although everyone seemed to be getting better physically, Aaron doubted they could get back to their old selves. Cephalomon had been one thing, but this time they'd seen the true horror of what they were up against.

The boy wandered over to where Eloise was stroking Pteramon, running her hand over his large head crest as water cascaded down his beak. The beast opened his good eye wider, all the weight of the world seeming to lie in its yellow pool.

"You didn't have to do this, you know." he croaked.

"Nonsense." Eloise gave a half-smile, "You saved us back then. The least we can do is help you to recuperate."

It was true. The moment she could run Vulpimon had taken Eloise and Ladomon and headed off to locate the creature, eventually finding him struggling to lift off with a damaged wing. They'd persuaded him to come back with them and had dug him out a place in the side of the clearing, out of sight from prying Fire Kingdom eyes. Being much larger, the giant was still healing, the metal underside of his left wing slowly replenishing itself.

Pteramon bowed his head. "Some help I was. The two children, are they okay?"

"They'll be fine. Don't worry about them, just get some rest."

Reluctantly, the pterosaur lowered its head again, and Eloise looked over at Aaron. Her eyes seemed glazed, like someone who hadn't slept for days due to their tears.

She nodded at him. "You don't need to stay awake for me. I can manage."

Aaron shook his head, "I can't sleep. Not right now."

"You too, huh?"

Eloise's shoulder sagged, and she looked at Aaron despondently. He opened his arms and the two hugged, each taking in the other's burden for a brief moment. In a moment, they were sat facing each other underneath the canopy of the trees, staying out of the worst of the rain.

Aaron looked up. "You still worried about him?"

Eloise let out a breath. "Of course I am. We have no idea where he is or whether he's okay. He could be dead for all we know."

"Don't say that."

"Sorry. I don't mean to, it's just..." Eloise looked towards the forest, all the previous life and energy from her eyes having been drained out by exhaustion and worry, leaving them a dull grey in contrast to their usual vibrant green.

"I thought maybe we could do it, you know? Maybe this could be like those awesome Saturday morning cartoons where we pull through at the last minute. You know, power of friendship and all that jazz." She pulled herself into a ball, her D-Nexus glowing faintly on the ground next to her.

"Are we going to die here, Aaron?"

Aaron didn't answer. For a moment he struggled to think of something to say, before he pulled himself to his feet.

"Don't worry, we won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

Aaron gave a short chuckle. "I'm not. But we're all still alive right now, right? I'll make sure we stay that way."

He stretched, strangely not feeling too tired, considering. He took a couple of steps towards the forest, "I'm just going to talk to Kent. You okay here?"

Eloise looked over to where everyone's partners were huddled together, shivering in the cold and wet, sans Vulpimon, who was with Grace, and Colchimon, who was...well...missing in action.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. "

* * *

Aaron gently brushed aside the foliage as he came upon the older boy, sitting with his legs apart and head leaning back against a slightly scorched tree trunk (a common sight nowadays). He didn't seem to notice as Aaron drew closer.

"Kent?"

Slowly, the older boy opened his eyes and glanced to the side. "Hey."

Aaron crouched down beside him, "We're missing you back at camp."

"Sorry about that." Kent budged up, allowing Aaron to sit next to him. It was obvious that he didn't particularly want to go anywhere anytime soon.

"Sorry, I didn't realise how long I'd been gone. How is everyone doing?"

Aaron looked away. "How do you think?"

The two sat in silence for a bit. The forest, which had seemed quite beautiful when they'd first arrived, now seemed to be closing in on them; harsh and oppressive. It felt more and more like they were trapped the more the days went on.

Eventually Aaron broke the silence. "You know, we can't go on like this. Sure, we're royally screwed right now, but there's got to be something we can do."

Kent didn't answer. Aaron turned to face him, "You're the smart one, what do you think?"

Kent laughed. "Ha. Smart. Nice thought, but I have no clue what to do anymore. Every time I think I might be getting somewhere, something else comes along and shakes everything up. I don't have the confidence to try anymore. I may as well be an idiot for all the use I am here."

Aaron frowned. "You still shaken up about the battle.,,?"

"I wanted to help. Believe me, I did. But, well, it was hopeless. I saw that, and I couldn't bring myself to fight." Kent glanced over at Aaron, who was listening intently. "I wish I could be more like you, you know. You have the instincts of a survivor, someone who doesn't give up until the last second. I just can't believe that right now. If it wasn't for that, maybe Seismon could have helped. As it was, he lost all his power, thanks to me."

"That's nothing to beat yourself up over."

"It is when it could lead to you or anyone else getting hurt again."

Aaron couldn't respond to that. He sighed, and bunched himself tighter. "Look, there's got to be something we can try. Anything. Any little way we can gain the upper hand."

Kent shook his head. "There's nothing left, Aaron. There's nothing else we can do. Sorry, I've thought and I've thought, but I'm out of ideas."

Aaron thought about this, before standing up. "So we're just going to sit around doing nothing until they come to clean us up, then." Kent looked up at him, wanting to argue, but Aaron carried on.

"I don't like to give up. But I know how you feel, and trust me, I'm out of ideas too. I don't know what to do. But if we don't think of something, then the Fire Kingdom do what they're planning, and we get crushed, like the nuisances we are. Apparently."

"Isn't that going to happen regardless?"

Aaron sighed, and put his hand to his face, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Look, right now, either we die trying something stupid, or die doing nothing at all."

Slowly, he made his way back through the undergrowth, Kent watching after him.

"If there's anything that we can do, we really have no other choice."

Kent was left staring at the ground. The leaves rustled above him as Aaron's words reverberated around his head.

Aaron was right. Even if they tried something stupid, they were at least trying. But, like Aaron, he was out of ideas. Nothing he'd tried so far had worked; the only way they could get an advantage was if someone unlocked godmode or something.

His mind began to wander back to that day; the attack of that Asuramon. Something had happened then that wasn't natural, and it had scared him so much that he had sworn to play by the rules of the Digital World from then on. But maybe...maybe since playing by the rules wasn't working, maybe...

He shook his head vigorously. There was a last resort and then there was just plain stupid. For all he knew, the next time he tried something like that he could wipe out everyone around him. He couldn't take that risk.

But still...

* * *

"Hey, Trilomon, wake up."

Lights began to flicker in the little insect's eyes as he came to, moving jerkily as he saw his partner's face looming above him. The rain was beginning to die down and the sun was rising steadily on the horizon, bathig the forest in its golden light.

"What is it, Kent?"

Kent swallowed. "I'm going to try something stupid. Are you in?"

Trilomon thought about it. "Is it the good kind of stupid, or the kind of stupid that's likely to get us all killed?"

"Sorry. I don't know yet."

"Then I'm in."

"Good. Then do you know where my laptop was. I've kind of ignored it recently."

Trilomon uncurled himself and pointed with a claw towards a tent in the middle of a cluster, "All the bits should be in there. Why, are you going to try...that thing...again?"

"I don't know, Trilomon. But I need to try something."

Trilomon stretched, his armour making little clicking noises, before he nodded. "Fine with me."

"Excellent. By the way, I don't suppose you'd know anything about tools...?"

* * *

In a few hours the sun had risen to its full height, and was shining down oppressively on the unprotected settlement. The Digimon, out in the open as they were, had initially ignored the rising temperature, but it soon became too hot for them just to lie out in the open. Perimon's next port of call had been to ask Vulpimon is she could please come out and keep them cool; he had been greeted by a blast of ice to the face and a warning not to disturb her partner.

Eventually they decided to just head deeper into the forest; it was still humid, but they were at least in the shade.

The high temperature made it even more surprising when Aaron, back from keeping Pteramon company for a while, came across Kent and his partner sitting surrounded by little bits of metal and plastic, seemingly organised into little groups. Kent was presently holding two bits of circuit board in his right hand, when he noticed Aaron standing over him. He raised his other hand in greeting, holding some sort of sculpted sharp stone.

"I thought about it. In the end I decided I'd attempt to fix this thing."

Aaron crouched down, looking at the myriad of pieces before him, "I don't know quite what to say. You really did a number on this thing; are you sure something like this is humanly possible?"

Kent thought about it briefly. "Well, I've built computers before. I know what I'm doing at least, it's just a case of getting everything in the right order." He nodded at Trilomon, "He shaped some tools for me, so I think we might be okay."

He stared at the circuit boards for a couple of seconds, before giving off a frown. "Okay, maybe we might need a little help."

Aaron couldn't help but laugh a little at the absurdity of it all, "I'm not sure what use I can be, but I suppose I can help where I can."

"What's going on over here?" Velocimon wandered over to where the three were crouched around the scattered device, brow furrowing in confusion.

"Wait...you're not..." He glared at Kent, who looked back innocently. "You don't seriously think playing around with the Digital World is a good idea right now, do you?"

Kent shook his head, smiling a little. "Trust me, I don't want to go that far again." His smiled faded as he looked at Trilomon. "The truth is that this computer business is all I have to offer for you guys. I figured if we can at least get this working again, I might just be able to find some more information."

Velocimon sighed, arms folded in disapproval. "Everything's 'information' with you. It's not going to work; the only hope we have against the Fire Kingdom is if we band together and become as strong as we can."  
"And look how well that turned out." Velocimon immediately shut his mouth as Aaron twisted round to face him.

"Look, I know we've all had a hard time. Yes, we need to work together and grow in power, but we can only do that if we make use of every opportunity we have. I know this is a risk; this time we at least know how wrong it can go. But right now, if this has a chance of helping us, I say we at least need to try."

Velocimon rolled his eyes, "I still don't like it. But..." He relented, "...If there's a possibility...I suppose this can't hurt us any more than we already have been..."

Aaron put his hand on his partner's shoulder and pulled him down to their level. "Just sit down and help out, okay? Thanks."

The boy grinned at his partner, who didn't return the pleasantry. "You're awfully chipper, considering."

"I think we've spent enough time collectively moping. Maybe it's time to rebuild and start again. Literally."

Velocimon shrugged, but Kent caught his attention before he could answer back. "Hey, I don't suppose you can make a small, controlled spark or something, can you? I kind of need to fix a few bits of circuitry."

Velocimon looked down at his hands. "I suppose..." He grimaced as Kent passed over the pieces he was talking about.

"Mind you, I don't really approve of becoming someone's power tool."

"Ah, don't worry about it." Trilomon waved a claw of dismissal, "It's not that embarrassing."

"Says you, lap-dog."

"Hey!"

"Ow!" exclaimed Velocimon, as he was struck by a small rock thrown by a rather indignant insect. As the two argued and Velocimon got down to soldering, Kent couldn't help but feel a little more encouraged.

* * *

In fact, throughout the day, things seemed to get better and better. One by one, the others began to join the little repair club, who were still finding the work slightly more difficult than Kent had initially let on (Kent secretly blamed the tools, but he didn't want to upset his partner). Eventually, even Jack was up on his feet, and had come over to give everyone moral support. Slowly but surely, everybody began chatting and squabbling like they had before everything had gone to hell.

Well, almost like it. Occasionally Eloise or Ladomon would turn to talk to someone, only to remember that they weren't there. Eloise tried her hardest to keep it in the back of her mind, but Kai's presence wouldn't leave so easily, even if he himself had.

The work was long and it was late evening before the group had finished, but eventually Kent stood up, holding a completed laptop. He held it out in front of him and shook it a little. The group heard a rattling from inside. Grace scratched her head, "You don't think it's still broken, do you?"

"Well...it's not exactly stable." Kent wiggled the keyboard panel around a bit, before shrugging. "Still, I expect the warranty on this thing is void now anyway."

He pressed the power button. The group braced themselves, preparing for any psychotic monkeys to begin jumping out and attacking them all.

Luckily, the button did what it was supposed to, as the laptop flickered into life. Everyone let off a little cheer, and Kent turned to the motley group.

"Thanks guys. Thanks for the help."

He pressed the button again and closed the device down. "I think it's a little late to begin any major data handling right now. Let's call it a day."

Eloise yawned. "Sounds like a plan."

Kent put the machine back in its case and left it where he'd got it from, before he and the rest of the group headed their own ways; to sleep, to keep watch, or just to sit and talk.

Slowly but surely, it was beginning to feel like old times once again.

* * *

"I feel like we've been in this situation before."

The group was gathered around Kent, watching as he tapped at the keyboard like a professional, the casing rattling to and fro thanks to the lovingly haphazard repair job. In truth, most of them were looking very suspiciously at the little machine, as if it might let off a swarm of bees at any moment.

Pteramon had his head bent over the group, trying to get a better view. "Um, can anyone fill me in on what he's doing?"

Perimon, sitting in the tree just above him, slid down and landed on his beak, looking into the dinosaur's irritated good eye. "He's looking at the Digital Code, seeing if there's any clue in there that might give us an edge."

Pteramon cocked his head, nearly causing Perimon to slide off. "That sounds kind of vague. Has it worked yet?"

"Well, he managed to get a power increase."

"That's good. What was the catch?"

"He also released a psychotic monkey that turned into a rampant four-armed wrestler that beat the crap out of Seismon."

"Ah."

Perimon tilted his head back, stretching his wings as the sun fell on his body. "Well, you live and learn."

Pteramon tapped his foot impatiently as Perimon opened his eyes and sniffed the air. He turned and looked back into Pteramon's eye, "You know, no offense, but your breath really smells."

"Getoff!" Pteramon shook his head vigorously, causing Perimon to tumble ungracefully to the ground. He picked himself up and dusted himself off as Pteramon stomped back into the forest, grumbling at the lack of proper respect from those pesky young ones.

"Right, did anybody scan Martyaxmon's data when he was around?"

Nobody was sure, but they checked their D-Nexus's anyway. One by one they shook their heads; nobody had exactly been in the right frame of mind at the time.

Kent sighed, and leaned back, clasping the top of the screen with both hands. "Well, the plus side is that there doesn't seem to be any trace of Mandrimon in here. The minus side is that I don't know what else to do."

"What, you can't scan for data or anything?"

Kent shook his head. "What would I scan? This isn't just magic you know; it's not just a big friendly button that solves all our problems."

Trilomon, lying beside his partner as usual, raised a claw. "Um, have you thought about trying that other program again?"

Everyone around him looked at him, Kent included, and the insect shrank back. "I mean, of course..."

Aaron broke in. "Look, what exactly was that you did back then?"

Kent thought for a minute. "I'm not really sure. It started when I scanned that mask; I was able to glean all the information about this...Karatenmon out of it. Then I tried the same program on Trilomon, and it all went haywire. It was as if I was taking whatever it was from the mask and passing it onto Trilomon, except it didn't get that far."

Vulpimon raised her eyebrows at Ladomon. "Let's be thankful for that."

Aaron carried on. "That's right. Beforehand, you said you were able to change the characteristics of trees and that. Could it be that you can somehow transfer power with that thing?"

Kent looked at him, before closing the screen. "Look, I don't know what I did, but I've already told you I'm not doing it again. No matter what, it's too risky."

He slowly ambled away. Aaron went after him but was grabbed by Eloise, "Wait, Aaron. Think about it, is it really worth the risk?"

"What else do you suggest?" Aaron turned to face her, his face completely straight. "It's not like we have any other leads at the moment."

Grace put her hand to her mouth. "Well it's not like this is a particularly safe lead either. It might not even go anywhere."

"Look, just..." Aaron thought about it, Eloise's eyes boring into him. "Just have faith in me for the moment. I need_ some_ encouragement that I'm doing the right thing once in a while."

Eloise sighed. "You seem to know more of what he's up to, so you talk to him. My head hurts, and the air's really thick all of a sudden."

Aaron nodded and walked after Kent, Velocimon jogging along next to him. Aaron gave his partner a sideways glance, "I thought you were against this idea?"

"I am. I'm just against the idea of sitting around waiting to be picked off one by one even more."

"That's not like you. You're not really a risk taker."

Velocimon shrugged. "I guess you're rubbing off on me."

Aaron smiled, then called over to the older boy, "Hey, Kent."

Kent was looking around with a puzzled expression on his face. Aaron caught up to him, "Hey, look, I-"

"Hang on a minute." Kent held up a finger to silence the other boy, who looked around, utterly confused.

"Do you smell something?"

"It thought that was Pteramon."

"I highly doubt that. Also that's rude, but no matter. There's something odd going on round here."

Aaron sniffed. It was true; the air seemed thick with a hot, heavy stench. Something like smoke? No, it wasn't that. Sulphur? Aaron couldn't tell, but he noticed it seemed to be getting stronger, almost intoxicating.

There was a rustle in the trees to the side as Pteramon poked his head out, walking towards them. "Listen, I have the strangest feeling that something's gone off around here."

Aaron and Kent turned towards him, their partners at their feet.

The ground gave way beneath them, sending the four tumbling into nowhere with the shattered earth tumbling down after them. Pteramon gave an anguished croak and awkwardly hopped backwards, just avoiding slipping in himself. Eloise and the children ran over almost immediately."

"What the hell was that noise?"

"Er..."

Pteramon nodded towards the sunken hole in the middle of the clearing, shards of earth scattered all around like porcelain. Jack walked forward and picked one of them up, only to yell and drop it immediately, blowing on his hands.

"They're really really hot." He looked up at the blue giant, a worried look in his eye.

"Pteramon...where are Kent and Aaron?"

"In there. Velocimon and Trilomon went in as well."

Eloise shook her head in disbelief, before running towards the pile of rubble. She scrabbled in an attempt to get in, but she immediately started wincing as the hot rock burned into her. Her partner flew in and practically dragged her out by the arm; all the while she was yelling, "We have to help them! We have to get them out!"

"Calm down!" Ladomon looked her partner straight on, taking on an unusually assertive voice.

"Think about it. We can't just dig them out of there; the rock's too hot and it's piled too thick. We wouldn't get down in time. They've got their partners with them; I'm sure they'll be okay. They'll get out soon enough."

Eloise exhaled. "I hope so."

Grace knelt down and put an ear to the ground, her partner sniffing the air and pulling a face. "That smell's still getting stronger. It's like charcoal with vinegar or something." She let off a small cough as Grace raised her head.

"I don't know about this, but I thought I heard something banging beneath there. It was pretty faint, but it was definitely there."

Eloise looked between Grace and Pteramon. "Do you think it could be them?"

"Possibly." Pteramon frowned, his good eye glinting in the sunlight.

"I think the main question here is why did this happen? Could there be something else down there with them?"

* * *

Aaron and Kent bundled into each other as they hit a solid surface, Velocimon and Trilomon having recovered quickly. Kent scrabbled around, trying to figure out which way up was, and Aaron felt the wind come out of him as Kent's boot went into his stomach.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry. Here, move yourself."

"I can't, you're-" Aaron stopped, feeling a sudden burning sensation in his hand. He yelped and scrambled to his feet, checking his palm. Kent quickly discovered the hot floor as well and got to his own feet.

"What is this?" The group of four looked around. They seemed to be in some sort of tunnel; circular and about four metres in diameter. The walls seemed to be carved out of solid rock; unnaturally smooth and shiny, with grooves running parallel to the tunnel. Aaron gingerly touched one of them, then drew his hand away. It was hot enough to be uncomfortable, but it didn't cause serious damage.

Velocimon sniffed, and made a face. "Well, I guess this is where the smell was coming from."

He was right; there was a heavy, humid atmosphere in the tunnel and the smell was even stronger, causing the humans to choke.

"What the hell is it? And where the hell are we?"

Kent put his hand to his chin. "Some sort of trap, perhaps?"

"I don't think so." Trilomon turned, his claws clicking against the hard rock floor. "At least, not a deliberate one."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen this kind of thing before; I've run into them once or twice. They're created by a Digimon of some sort, but it's just how they get around." The little insect glanced around uneasily, "At least, I hope that's the case."

Aaron sighed. "Well, regardless of what it is, we need to find a way out. We can't stay down here or we'll suffocate before too long. I assume we can't make our way back up the tunnel?" he said, looking at his partner.

Velocimon nodded. "Well, if you wanted to be crushed by red-hot rubble, then sure."

"Ever the bringer of optimism. Thanks mate." Aaron gave his partner a sarcastic grin.

"Hey, is it just me, or is the wall cooling down?"

Kent put his palm to the wall and held it for a minute. "Scratch that; it's almost stone cold all of a sudden."

"What?"

"Here, feel."

Aaron did so, feeling the rough smoothness against his palm. He looked at Kent in confusion, "What does it mean?"

Kent leant back against it, his laptop swivelling around his body with the movement.

"I may have a theory. I'm guessing that whatever made this tunnel went under us at the wrong time, and we collapsed it. I'm also guessing that it makes its tunnels by some sort of melt and solidify process, allowing them to be made quickly and cleanly."

"So basically something with a blowtorch strapped to its back or something."

"Possibly."

Velocimon raised a claw. "Pardon me, but does that mean that we're now stuck in a tunnel with a feral Fire Digimon?"

Nobody else even had the chance to answer before something crashed through the ceiling not five metres away from them. Well, not really crashed; the wall seemed to melt and a fiery form came crawling through on all fours. It was like an oversized lizard; about the size of a large crocodile, with huge three-toed feet that gripped the walls and fiery orange patterns over its deep crimson body. It blinked, its eyes small and beady with a faintly glowing aura, before turning its head from its ceiling-mounted position, grumbling as it did so.

"I haven't finished it yet, you're not supposed to come here-"

He stopped as he caught sight of the two humans and two partner Digimon standing staring at him. Aaron had his D-Nexus out, and was scanning the creature.

"_Salamandemon. Champion Level, Virus Attribute. Attacks: Backdraft, Heat Breath_"

The creature blinked again, its mouth hanging open.

"Aw crap."

Aaron blinked himself. The creature seemed more embarrassed than anything else. Gingerly, Aaron raised a hand, "Um, are you-"

"No questions!" The creature suddenly raised itself to its fully height (still stuck to the ceiling, making it look like a novelty lightbulb) and opened its mouth wide, showing rows of disjointed orange teeth.

"You are an unprecedented external interference to this situation and must therefore be purged from the system. Do not resist and this will be painless."

Its voice felt forced, as if it was reciting a piece of protocol rather than genuinely threatening them.

Not that anybody cared to comment on its poor presentation skills as they were busy running the other way down the tunnel, not looking back. The lizard tilted its head, watching them scamper away.

"You sons of-"

It decided to not waste any more time trying to follow procedure and to just get on with it. With one fluid motion he scooted round onto the tunnel floor and made off after the escaping interferences.

It wasn't a big deal. They wouldn't get far.

* * *

Trilomon's claws skittered across the tunnel floor as he and the others ran from the flaming lizard. Panting, Aaron glanced sideways at Velocimon. "Well, are you up to getting rid of this thing?"

"It's going to get cramped, but I can give it a go."

"You up for it, Kent?"

Kent looked at the little insect running along beside him, "Uh, sure, I guess…"

The two ran into a place where the tunnel split either way. Aaron had his D-Nexus in hand and was looking around frantically. Velocimon nudged him, "If you want us to fight him we've got to evolve now."

Kent got out his own device and prepared to evolve his partner, "Good luck guys."

The two boys held their arms out, ready to transfer energy. From deep within the tunnel they'd just emerged from, a low croaking sound could be heard.

"Primal-"

Kent saw it first.

"JUMP!"

Everybody hit the deck as a blast of flame shot from the tunnel entrance, all four of them feeling the heat as it barely missed them. The blast stopped, and the group could hear something scuttling towards them.

Trilomon scrabbled to his feet, the hard rock making it difficult for him to get purchase. "It's trying to purge the tunnels. Quickly, evolve us!"

"Primal Control!"

Bolts of energy flew around the tunnel, but the process was interrupted as the wall next to them suddenly melted away, Salamandemon revealing himself once again.

"There you are…"

"Evolution Activate!"

Salamandemon leapt towards them, flames adorning his body, but he quickly found himself colliding with a bipedal lizard with a ticked-off expression on his face. The amphibian gritted his teeth. "Crud."  
Galvamon quickly shook off the flames that had gathered over his body. "This guy's hot. Seismon, you ready?"

"Um...not really..."

Galvamon braced himself as the amphibian charged him again, as Aaron looked around to see Trilomon standing there, Kent furiously trying to get the D-Nexus to work.

Trilomon shuffled worriedly. "Any time now, Kent!"

"I'm trying!" Kent furiously shook the device, before throwing his arm forwards, yelling at the top of his voice.

"_Primal Control!"_

Nothing happened. Aaron shook his head, "This isn't good."

Trilomon ran up to his partner, "You've got to trust me, Kent! I can only evolve if you can form the link!"

Galvamon slammed against the wall, holding both Salamandemon's jaws apart as the amphibian tried to take a bite of him. He winced as his opponent's skin burned into his palms, before he noticed something gathering in the back of Salamandemon's mouth.

"Heat Breath!"

Salamandemon croaked the words as a torrent of molten rock flowed from his mouth, melting into the wall where Galvamon had been just seconds beforehand.

Aaron winced at his partner's peril, before turning back to the other two. "We don't have time for this right now. You get out of here; we'll handle this as best we can."

"But Aaron-"

Aaron shook his head. "Trust me, we'll be fine. Try and find a way out of here."

Feeling utterly helpless, Kent nodded, before beckoning Trilomon to follow him as the tunnels rumbled ominously.

* * *

"Can you see anything?"

Kent shook his head; all he could see was a dim red glow whichever path he looked down. The tunnels shook again; they were holding surprisingly well, but they obviously hadn't been built as battlegrounds, and it was only a matter of time before the whole system caved in. The two had already passed pathways that had been blocked off by rubble.

Kent immediately bent over, letting off another fit of coughing. The burning smell was dangerously thick right now, and he knew he couldn't last much longer. He turned to talk to Trilomon, before the insect barreled into him, knocking him backwards.

Another blast of flame rocketed out of the tunnel, a tongue of flame just licking at Kent's trouser leg. HE drew it back, catching his breath as the flame died down. He had no idea how well Galvamon was holding out back there. He seemed to be physically stronger than Salamandemon, but the amphibian could melt through the walls with ease and knew this place like the back of his webby fingers.

He gulped the increasingly toxic air, trying to stay focused. Trilomon looked on worriedly.

"You're not going to last much longer at this rate. Don't push yourself."

"It's not like I have a lot of choice." Kent swallowed. "There's no way out of here."

He lay back, his shirt sticking to his skin in the heat.

Trilomon banged the floor next to him, his little armoured face determined and stubborn. "You can't give up now!"

Kent laughed a hollow, bitter chuckle. "I'm sorry for what happened back there."

"You just need to have faith in me, Kent!"

"You make it sound so easy. I can't carry on like this, Trilomon. I can't just blindly follow a path that I know to be hopeless."

"It's not hopeless!"

"Martyaxmon was relentless. We didn't have the strength to beat him and we don't have a way to find it. There's no way we're going to live through this."

He let out another laugh. "Sorry, I'm rambling. Look, you go on ahead. There's nothing I can do for you now."

Trilomon was about to argue, but then he rethought. He took a few steps away from his partner, before walking towards the tunnel they'd just come from. Kent raised his head, "You can't go that way, that's where those three are battling."

"I know. But if you're so adamant that we're fighting a losing battle, I at least want to go down fighting!"

Kent's eyes widened, but before he could reach his partner Trilomon had rushed back down the tunnel. Kent scrambled to his feet and made after his partner, but stepping in front of the opening he could see the flame building deep within it.

With one last burst of energy he threw himself to the ground again, feeling the heat of the flame above him. Shaking, he got to his knees, looking down at the ground. With a frustrated cry he banged his fist against the hard rock floor, the impact sending a spasm of pain through his hand.

Trilomon was right. He knew that. He didn't want to just abandon everyone like this. He sat up and looked at his hands. As much as he wanted to help, he'd been virtually useless since he'd gotten here. He couldn't fight, he couldn't come up with a good plan, and right now he couldn't even support his partner. What could he do that they hadn't already tried?

He thought back to Aaron's words, "Either we die doing something stupid, or we die doing nothing at all."

His gaze wandered down to his laptop; he could see the light blinking where the power was still on. It seemed to bore into him, enticing him to try the unthinkable.

Maybe he was right. Maybe there was nothing he could do. But while he still had a faulty grenade left to throw, the battle wasn't over yet.

He could hear the sounds from the tunnel getting louder as he whipped out the computer and booted up the screen. He could see the icon where he'd left the program; by some miracle it had survived everything the laptop had been through.

Kent felt a familiar cool energy and he picked up his D-Nexus, which was glowing, seeming to react to the laptop and the mystery of the creation program. They had one small glimmer of hope after all.

Without thinking, he put the computer on standby and set off down the tunnel, towards the chaos he'd run away from.

* * *

He didn't have to run far down the maze of tunnels before the battle practically threw itself in his face. He leapt back as Salamandemon powered through the wall, sending molten rock every which way and causing another rumble, this one much more violent than the last.

Galvamon leapt through after him, not in the best of shapes. His hand blades had been bent by the massive heat, and there were great dark marks adorning the lizard's forearms and hands where he'd been grappling with the searing-hot amphibian hand-to-hand.

Aaron stood behind his partner, trying to keep clear of the hot walls. His eyes were sunken and his breath came in short rasps from the heavy atmosphere. He looked like he was going to collapse at any moment.

Galvamon noticed Kent and threw Salamandemon to the side, giving the boy a brief moment to run past the chaos and get to Aaron. Aaron gave a quick smile, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help. Where's my partner, he should have joined you by now?"

Aaron pointed, and Kent followed his gaze. He hadn't noticed, but his partner was deep within the fray as well, nipping around beneath the amphibian's feet, attacking where he could. Kent had to admire the little insect's tenacity.

"What are you going to do?"

Kent knew Aaron couldn't hold out much more; even if Galvamon wouldn't go down that easily, then his would definitely give out before too long. Swallowing, the older boy opened up his laptop, hand hovering over the button that would begin the creation program. He stalled; he still had no idea what would happen. What if this took out the tunnel? Released something else? Deleted Trilomon?

He felt a hand on his shoulder; Aaron nodded behind him; too tired to speak, but the gesture spoke for itself. Go for it.

Kent steeled himself and pressed the button.

The screen seemed to explode into light; illuminating the whole tunnel. Kent dropped the laptop, preparing for the inevitable danger, but it never came. There was something different this time; there was still the same wild energy emanating from the machine, but there was no malice behind it, no tyrannical rage. It seemed natural somehow.

Salamandemon noticed the light as well; he screamed and pushed his way past Galvamon.

"That is forbidden power! Get rid of it!"

Kent flinched as the amphibian shot towards him, but Trilomon shot out of nowhere, slamming into the side of his adversary's head and clamping on tight with all four legs.

"Shell Sword!"

Smoke poured from between the insect's armour segments as Salamandemon tried to shake off his assailant, but he was quickly dragged away by a still mobile Galvamon, breathing heavily but still willing to fight. Wincing against the pain, Trilomon called over to his partner, "Whatever you're going to do, do it now!"

Aaron smiled. "Looks like we're not finished just yet."

Kent didn't hear; he was busy staring at his computer, strange numbers and symbols dancing across the screen. Somehow, he understood it. He could almost see what the machine was telling him.

"It's the link."

Aaron looked over at him, "What?"

"That's what this thing does. It doesn't just detect energy and stuff; this program was made for us. It's the link we have between us and our partners; between the elements and our soul energy."

Aaron blinked. "You've lost me."

Kent's D-Nexus was going haywire in his hand. The boy could feel the energy coursing between him and his partner, powering them both up. He knew it was there, but there was something more. As if they were both storing energy; ready to release it, ready to get to the next level.

"We've been holding back."

Aaron was stumped. "How...what?"

Kent turned to the leader, a new spark in his eye. "We spent so long trying to find a way to grow in power, but it's been here the whole time. We lost against Martyaxmon because we've been holding back our full power. With this we can reach new levels of power.

"Kent! A little faster?"

Kent immediately tapped the keyboard, his fingers a blur as he moved the symbols around effortlessly. Aaron coughed and stumbled, feeling a brief spat of pain that made Galvamon flinch. Salamandemon took the opportunity and lunged at his head, clamping his jaws around the lizard's shoulder. Galvamon cried out as molten rock dripped onto his exposed flesh, his arms lacking the energy to fight back.

"Hey!"

Kent stepped out, laptop in hand, finger poised to press the final key. Salamandemon let go and turned to face him, his face contorting into one of rage and fear.

"That power must not fall into your hands!"

He slithered off the downed lizard and skittered towards the boy, flaring up menacingly.

Kent noticed his partner eying him, silent encouragement passing between them. He smiled, and brought his finger down.

"On the contrary, this power belongs to us."

The energy surge rocketed out from the body of the computer, making the loose assembly rattle alarmingly. A portion of energy shot into Kent's D-Nexus. Aaron felt the force as his own device reacted, the data within it rearranging itself, creating something new, something undiscovered. Salamandemon felt himself being pushed back by the force as he writhed and gnashed at thin air.

* * *

Outside, the group felt the disturbance. One by one they got out their D-Nexus's and felt the energy surge through them; some sort of higher power they hadn't felt before. A blip appeared on Eloise's pinpointing the location of their friends.

"Follow me, you guys. I know where they are."

The three children and their partners ran off after the signal, Pteramon struggling to keep up behind them.

* * *

Deep in an unknown forest, the boy and his dragon felt the disturbance too. Kai felt the energy pass through him; he looked back, squinting against the sun, as if he was listening out for the call of his ex-comrades. Something new was happening.

* * *

_It hurts..._

* * *

Salamandemon squinted, and hissed his disapproval. The whole tunnels were shaking now; dust crumbling down from the ceiling as great cracks appeared along the smooth walls. Aaron stumbled and fell to the ground. He looked up at Kent, who was simply standing there, his eyes locked with those of his partner.

"Hey, I think we ought to get out of here."

Kent ignored him (or he didn't hear) as he stared at Trilomon, their hearts beating as one. Trilomon looked around him.

"What is this? It feels different. More intense."

Kent smiled, and held out his D-Nexus, the symbol of earth emblazoned on his chest. Salamandemon rushed towards him, screeching. "Cease, you human scum!"

Galvamon pummelled into him before he could reach the boy, but he lay, kicking and screaming, burning more into the lizard. But Aaron's partner had given Kent all the time he needed.

In one fluid motion, Kent swung the D-Nexus wide, the ground literally shaking beneath his feet.

"Primal Fury!"

It was like opening a floodgate; a mass of green light poured from the device, engulfing the little insect entirely. The seal had been lifted; the full power of the element of earth was being shared between the two partners. Inside the cocoon of light, Trilomon's body began to change.

"Evolution Activate!"

It wasn't like his previous transformations. His body seemed to disintegrate, leaving a formless mass of static, which writhed and growled like some wild animal. It began to grow, slowly moulding itself into something huge. The mass twisted itself into great segmented legs and lethal front claws, which dug into the floor, hoisting the mass up as it grew ever more. Galvamon, quick as he could, grabbed his barely-conscious partner and hoisted him underneath the mass, as rocks and rubble fell all around them.

Still holding firm, Kent seemed to be immune to the chaos around him. In the corner of his eye he could see Salamandemon wriggling, trying to dodge the falling rubble but failing as it pinned him down.

The boy smiled to himself, as the group seemed to rise up through the layers of rock.

* * *

The other children noticed the ground begin to move as they rushed towards the radar blips on their devices. Grace pulled her brother back as the earth in front of them cracked, then began to erupt and fall away as something emerged from below. It unfurled, revealing a huge, mantis-like creature, with a pair of lethal front sickles and serrated wings of bone. It reared up and opened its many jaws, letting off a terrifying roar into the sky.

"Tectonamon!"

Eloise was speechless. Her partner was cowering behind her, staring up at the mighty creature.

"What the heck is that thing?"

Her question was quickly answered as Galvamon landed beside them, placing Aaron down on his feet. The boy was swaying a little, dizzy from the ride and the sudden improvement in air quality. Galvamon fell to his knees, his wounds evident but still very much capable of battle.

Eloise turned to Aaron, "Is that what was chasing you down there?"

Aaron shook his head, "No, that was a flaming lizard thing. We were struggling, but Kent managed to evolve Trilomon to the next level."

"Wait, so..." Grace let go of her brother as they stared up at Tectonamon, still trying to balance itself on unfamiliar legs.

"That's...that's..."

"That's my partner."

Kent leapt out of the rubble, a new spring in his step. He looked up at his much larger partner, as the insect rebalanced himself again.

"How do you feel?"

Tectonamon didn't answer, but Kent heard his words nonetheless. "A little weird. I'm not used to this power." As monstrous as he now was, Kent could feel the excitement in his partner's voice, like a child opening a present on Christmas day.

Kent smiled, but his pride was cut short as he was suddenly rammed from the side. He rolled onto his back as Salamandemon, escaped from the wreckage, loomed over him. Kent gritted his teeth as drops of molten rock dripped down onto his exposed arms from the amphibian's maw.

"You won't get to use this power again. The Fire Kingdom forbids it."

Galvamon made a move, but Salamandemon, free from the confines of the tunnels, simply turned and opened his mouth wide.

"Backdraft!"

A column of flame erupted from his head, scattering the group. Kent tried to roll away while the amphibian was briefly distracted, but Salamandemon saw him and reared up, his mouth brimming with lava.

"Heat Breath!"

Kent flinched, but Salamandemon's attack was suddenly silenced as a massive armoured head swung low, launching him across the clearing. He hissed and wriggled upright, but Tectonamon was already prepared. His many-jawed mouth was open and green lights were dancing in his throat, spiralling together into one pulsating ball of energy.

"Fossil Meteor!"

The projectile flew forward at a breakneck speed, as Salamandemon struggled to get away. The orb split in mid-air, morphing into dozens of spears and spikes that rained down around the amphibian, one impaling him directly through the tail. He screeched as the spear hardened into a bone-like substance, and he wriggled in vain as the shafts hardened around him, trapping him in a primeval cage.

In seconds, Galvamon was upon him, claw pressing down on his neck as Tectonamon and the others gathered around.

"You're out in the open now. We've got the advantage, right?"

Salamandemon said nothing. Galvamon squeezed a little harder and he nodded fervently.

"I've got some questions for you. You only need to nod or shake your head. Got it?"

A pause, then a nod.

"Are you Fire Kingdom?"

Nod.

"Special forces?"

Nod.

"Underground division, perchance?"

Nod.

Perimon stepped forward. "Let me guess, all part of the Fire Kingdom's elaborate plan to destroy us, once and for all."

The amphibian hesitated. Galvamon looked him square in the eye. "You'd do best to answer, you know."

Salamandemon hacked and a hunk of molten slag hit Galvamon in the shoulder. He swore and briefly let go, giving Salamandemon enough time to lunge sharply to the left. His tail broke off at the base, much like a real lizard, and he smashed through his prison walls, scampering through Tectonamon's legs as the giant tried to stop him.

Kent pointed, "Don't let him get underground!"

"Too late!" Salamandemon was laughing as he began to burrow downwards at a frightening speed.

"You can't stop the Fire Kingdom!"

His mirth was short-lived. Out of seemingly nowhere, Pteramon charged forward, reared his head and plunged it downwards, his sharp beak piercing the amphibian through the neck. Salamandemon gave one hoarse woof, as if he had just been punched in the stomach.

Pteramon grunted. "We _can_ stop you."

Salamandemon's eyes flicked towards the giant as they glazed over. Pteramon gave a brief shake and the head was ripped from the body, both flying in different directions, shedding data as they did so. Eloise grimaced, and Grace covered her brother's eyes from the brief moment of brutality. But it was only a moment. In a couple of seconds, the amphibian was gone.

Galvamon let out a great sigh, and leant back against the pile of rubble. "Well, that was a load." He glanced over at Pteramon, "Thanks for your help there."

Pteramon lowered his great head, his bad eye staring dimly at the ground.

"It's only one soldier. It's nothing to write home about."

"Oh, cheer up!"

Jack ran over and threw his arms around the giant's leg. Grace chuckled as she watched Pteramon's blue skin slowly turn red with embarassment.

"You don't need to keep putting yourself down. We're just so glad you're on our side."

Eloise smiled at the scene, but she was quickly distracted by the two other boys staring down into the opened tunnel.

Kent scratched his chin. "So, I'm guessing this was a tactical move or something? This tunnel business."

Galvamon, keeping his eyes closed, nodded in agreement.

"That thing belonged to special forces. They're soldiers that aren't completely infected, so they can be used to carry out complicated military strategies." He knocked against the rubble, his metal gauntlets making a harsh noise against the hardened rock. "Basically the Fire Kingdom has decided they can't get rid of us the normal way after all."

Tectonamon strode over, effortlessly navigating the broken ground. "Well, if this is part of their plan, why don't we ruin it for them?"

Galvamon smiled, and walked away from the pile, the others following suit. "Be my guest."

Tectonamon stood still for a couple of seconds, his front claws gaining a green glow. Then he raised himself up, standing on his back four legs with his front appendages held high.

"Eon Tremor!"

He brought his front legs down directly into the hole they'd appeared from. There was a muffled crack, then the ground seemed to explode into vibration, pieces of rubble sliding every which way as the shockwave spread out through the clearing. The children stumbled, Aaron falling onto his back, but the tremor was short and the noise gradually died down.

Aaron rubbed his head, still feeling dazed from his stint in the tunnel. "Can't you give us more warning next time?"

Tectonamon seemed to shrink a couple of feet, drawing himself into his segments, much like Trilomon would. Galvamon leapt up and examined the insect's work. Where there had been a hole, there was now only a solid mass of rough, green crystal, taking up the tunnel like silicon filler. Galvamon tapped it, and nodded approvingly.

"Let's see them try and get through that."

Kent walked up to his partner and tapped his great front leg. Tectonamon leant down and brought his head down to Kent's level, staring into the boy's dark brown eyes with his four insectoid ones.

"You did it again, partner."

Kent shook his head. "You have no idea how close I was to giving up. I guess I need you to keep me in check."

Tectonamon nodded as he began to shrink, his body glowing as he rapidly spiralled back down to his Rookie form. In a couple of seconds, Trilomon was stood in front of his partner.

The sudden rush of energy returning to him made Kent's head spin, and he fell forwards onto his knees. Trilomon laughed, and sat on his rear segments, staring up at his partner like a puppy.

"I'm here for you until the end, Kent."

Kent nodded. "The very end."

Eloise walked over to them, Ladomon hovering just above her. "So, what exactly happened to you two down there?"

"Yeah," said Jack, walking over with his sister and Pteramon in tow, "We felt something. Some sort of energy thing."

Grace looked sideways at her brother with amusement. He noticed her look and frowned, "Well, I don't know. Everything's an energy thing around here."

"You're kind of right." Kent stood up and tapped his laptop. "I ran the program, but it actually worked this time. It somehow allowed me to completely open the elemental link between me and Trilomon. That way we could share energy directly, and he could evolve to the next level."

Vulpimon frowned. "Then that jolt we all felt. Was that the program passing to us?"

"I guess so." Aaron tapped a few buttons on his D-Nexus; it didn't look any different, but he could feel the new power behind the interface. "All the D-Nexus's are linked, aren't they?"

"All the elements are linked." Ladomon twirled in the air. "I've got to admit, it certainly feels like a huge weight's off of my shoulders."

Vulpimon felt it too, but it still wasn't satisfied. "So, does this mean the Fire Kingdom are going to know about this."

Her question went to Velocimon, who merely shrugged. "They'll find out sooner or later; it's just a case of when. But the main point is that we can now reach new levels of power. Perhaps we might stand a chance once again."

The group nodded in agreement, but inside they still all felt a twinge of uncertainty. It was never going to be that easy.

* * *

Martyaxmon felt like he was back in school in his In-Training days; sat on a rough stone floor waiting for approval. Regardless of this he kept his back straight and his head high, as was customary for him when in Surtremon's chamber.

He brought his paw forward and placed the mask, face down, on the pedestal in front of him.

"Oh Marty, you do spoil me."

The manticore barely hid his irritation as another figure dropped down from the shadows, before slowly, almost leisurely, striding towards his comrade.

"Rinkhalmon, I brought the relic you were looking for. I assume this is the right one." He muttered under his breath, "And will you please refrain from calling me Marty."

"Daw, you do take everything so seriously, comrade."

In a matter of seconds the mask was in the claws of the third Commander, as he looked over it with a professional's eye, twisting his long, flexible neck round as he scrutinised each and every detail.

Martyaxmon waited patiently as he did this. The beast was used to this; Surtremon almost never interacted with them directly, although he had decreed that all important developments, such as this, would take place in his presence. The beast grimaced as he looked ahead at the huge suit of armour at the far end of the chamber, sword clasped in hand and visor lowered. He knew the fate of those, even former Commanders, who would dishonour the General.

There was a hiss from the side as Rinkhalmon finished his initial inspection.

"You're right, this would appear to be the genuine article."

Martyaxmon exhaled. "Thank you. Now that that's out of the way, those children-"

"...are remaining alive for the time being."

The manticore turned on his comrade with confusion. "What? I thought that with the mask you'd no longer need them?"

"I never said that." Rinkhalmon put one claw to his lips, like a cheeky schoolgirl. Martyaxmon just wanted to wipe that obviously smug, oversized grin off his partner's face.

Rinkhalmon carried on. "True, this is what I was looking for, however it itself may not be of any help. If it isn't, then those children must remain alive."

Martyaxmon glared at his slimy comrade, the flaming torches making his beads flicker and cast strange patterns on the walls.

"You could be clearer about what you're talking about."

Rinkhalmon shrugged. "It's complicated. Don't worry though, the children are of little consequence overall."

"Still, they have been growing in strength since they arrived here. You can't deny the slim possibility that they might start to interfere."

Rinkhalmon let out a snide laugh. "Oh please, you kicked their collective asses, remember? There's no way they can stand up to a whole army should we choose, so there's nothing to worry about!"

"I suppose that's true..."

Rinkhalmon wandered away, twirling the mask around his finger as he scaled the chamber walls with the agility of a spider. "Look, if you're that worried, just throw them out of that forest of yours. We don't need it anymore anyway now that we have this." He brandished the mask once more, before he disappeared from sight.

Martyaxmon sighed, nodded, then ambled out of the chamber. The torches went out automatically as the door to Surtremon's chamber closed behind him.

* * *

Martyaxmon wandered down the long corridor. Rinkhalmon was right; now they'd found the mask and more about the children, there was no reason to keep them there anymore. At the very least he could try and control them, stop them growing in power. If he could keep them running and their spirits down, maybe that would give him peace of mind.

He shook his head, his shaggy mane swishing through the air. Something still just didn't sit right with him. Sure, they'd proved absolutely no challenge against him earlier, but there was something about that look in that one boy. Galvamon's partner. The manticore smirked. It figured that that raptor would choose the tenacious one.

He was collecting his thoughts when he passed the chamber to the underwater cavern. He double-took and noticed that the door was open. Curiously, he walked through, and found himself face-to-face with his familiar krakenesque comrade.

Cephalomon leaned in close, so close that Martyaxmon could smell the salt and oil being exhaled from beneath his mask. It made him feel quite nauseous.

"So what's the deal with those kids?"

"I...Surtremon still won't let us kill them." Martyaxmon glanced back, then closed the door behind him. Rinkhalmon was probably busy, but it was good to make sure.

"What are you doing here anyway? You're supposed to be watching over the soldiers."

Cephalomon was quietly seething at this latest information drop, but he calmed himself and lowered his voice.

"I gave them instructions. They're already carrying out my plans as we speak."

"What plans?"

"I'm sick of waiting. And besides, those kids are dangerous. I'm gonna get rid of them and their pathetic partners as well."

Martyaxmon blinked. "Please tell me you're not really considering this. You know what happens if you defy Surtremon." He raised himself up to his full height. "In fact, what's to stop me from turning round and reporting this right now?"

Cephalomon rolled his eyes. "Look, I know you; you may be a little General's boy but you aren't stupid. The only reason you're still here is that you agree with me. The children need to die."

Martyaxmon opened his mouth but paused, unable to think of a response.

The giant squid carried on. "Surtremon and his little scientist lackey; they have their big master plan. But, in the end, aren't we just looking for a world ruled by Fire Digimon? In that case, we need to stomp out every little interference as it comes up. In the long run, we're doing the Fire Kingdom a great service."

"But Rinkhalmon suggested that we just move them out of the forest and keep them on the run. Surely that would..."

Cephalomon shook his head, his great tentacles flapping with the movement.

"You don't understand. You weren't there, but they faced me and they wounded me. They've been growing in power; you've been watching them, surely you've realised that? And besides, Velocimon and his comrades are with them, and you know the trouble they've given us in the past."

Martyaxmon knew all too well. It had taken over three-hundred blood-crazy ultra-powered Mega levels to crush that resistance in the end. There was no way they'd be able to conjure up more Fire Tyrants in such a short space of time.

Cephalomon was staring at him earnestly. The squid could tell he was winning.

"I know this goes against the way you work. Quite frankly, I hate it. But you've gotta help me with this. You know this is for the good of the Fire Kingdom."

Martyaxmon smiled. "I also know that this is for the good of your personal revenge."

Cephalomon looked around, trying to find another argument, but Martyaxmon silenced his comrade."

"Don't worry. I'm in. Let's get rid of these children once and for all."


	12. Episode 12: Jack's Mission

**Digimon: Inferno**

Episode 12: Jack's Mission

* * *

"Well, what do you think?"

Martyaxmon sat thoughtfully, trying to process his colleague's words. Cephalomon had spent the best part of the day explaining tactics and positions to him, and was now waiting for the manticore's professional verdict.

Martyaxmon frowned. "I'm not convinced. It's a lot of work just to kill twelve refugees. I still think I could just wipe them out where they stand."

Cephalomon put a hand to his face in exasperation. "Firstly, this'll get rid of them and the forest in one fell swoop, and we can pretend it was an accident if Surtremon gets wind. Secondly, they won't be able to escape like this."

"They wouldn't escape from me."

"We all make mistakes, comrade. If just one human went free, there's no telling how much trouble they could cause. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time it would've happened. You remember Velocimon's little 'rescue mission', don't you?"

Martyaxmon couldn't forget. Somehow, that obnoxious little reptile had snuck into his concentration camp and made off with a load of new soldiers. Inwardly, the manticore groaned. It had been one of the most embarrassing moments of his career.

Cephalomon ignored him and carried on, "Thirdly, I want the satisfaction of killing that infernal lizard myself."

"See, that's where the risky part comes in." Martyaxmon carried on. "We could easily purge the forest and wipe them all out together. What's the sense in splitting them up?"

"Because you and I both know they're more powerful than they look. Who's to know how much more they've grown since you last saw them?"

"Cephalomon, I respect your operation and I'll do the best I can to follow it, but I still think there's no way they can stand up to two of us if we're working together. I think you're being a little too cautious here."

"You say that, Martyaxmon." Cephalomonput his hand under his mask, his voice rasping slightly with the movement.

"However if we're going to do this, we need to do it properly."

The giant squid-man stretched his arm out, revealing the operation behind him; hundreds of heavily-armed Fire forces all snarling and waiting to be let loose, with just a few special forces keeping them in check. There were holes and tunnel entrances dotted all over the rocky terrain, and just behind Cephalomon was stood a giant metal crate, guarded by twelve soldiers. Martyaxmon could hear the contents screeching and banging into the walls; apparently these were some of Cephalomon's most effective killing machines. All part of the plan.

There was a disturbance by Martyaxmon's foot and he stepped to the side, revealing a panting Salamandemon half-poking out of the earth.

"General Cephalomon, sir. Tunnel Network 6 has been compromised, and Unit Overseer 6 has been killed by the humans."

"What?" Cephalomon whirled round, his head-tentacles flying through the air. Martyaxmon slammed a foot to the ground. "How on earth did they compromise an entire tunnel system? What did they do?"

The Salamandemon gulped. "They filled it with some sort of green crystal. Unit 21 was the closest; he said he saw one of them evolve. It must have been him."

Martyaxmon and Cephalomon exchanged a brief look. The manticore tapped the ground again, "Get back to your post, soldier. We'll send a replacement Unit 6."

"Sir."

The amphibian retreated as Cephalomon was beginning to freak out, steam venting from beneath his armour.

"How the hell did they reach Ultimate level already?" He pointed a finger of accusation at his partner, eyes blazing, "You! You were supposed to break them apart. 'Break their spirits', you said. 'They won't cause any more problems', you said. Tell me then, how did this happen?"

"I don't know." Martyaxmon gritted his teeth as his partner struggled to remain calm. "Evidently I made an error of judgement. They're a lot more resourceful than I gave them credit for."

"Do you see now? Why we need to kill them now? And why we need to do it like this?" Cephalomon brushed a couple of tentacles from his eyes; still quivering but mostly under control. "These kids could ruin everything we've worked for. They need to be stopped now."

Martyaxmon lowered his head in submission. "Well, we'd better get a move on then. Send soldiers to keep an eye on them and report back to us; we have enough to spare. In the meantime, let's finish the preparations. We shall be ready to attack by noon tomorrow."

Cephalomon smiled beneath his mask. "That's more like it. I can't wait."

* * *

"Icicle Barrage!"

The flurry of frozen projectiles slammed heavily into the oncoming Lynxmon as it raised a flaming claw, but the immense heat lessened their offensive power considerably. Alopemon quickly leapt out of the way as an arc of flame swiped past her, her nimble feet just keeping her away from serious harm so far.

Off to the side, Grace, Aaron and Jack were willing their partners onm trying to face off the dual threat that had appeared out of nowhere. The three champions were holding out, but the number of random attacks the past few days had begun to wear them down.

Mistramon hovered above the Lynxomon with his talons bared, as he swooped down and dug the sharp claws into the backs of one of the flaming lions, swinging it away with a grunt of pain. Jack was beside himself, "Don't touch them, you'll hurt yourself!"

"I know that, just let me deal with them."

"Allow me." Galvamon leapt forward with claws bared, slashing at the beast's neck. The Lynxmon gargled, before disappearing into data. Mistramon hurriedly turned to where the other beast was tussling with his sister's partner.

"Get away from her, kitty! Pressure Wave!"

The air blast sent the Lynxmon spinning away. Mistramon followed up with another charge, talons bared as the cat snarled. Jack was jumping up and down on the sidelines, yelling, "Get him, get him, get him!"

Mistramon gritted his beak and swiped, but the Lynxmon was too fast, as it leapt out of the way, great wreaths of fire spinning out from its mane. Mistramon reeled back, the tongues of flame just licking him, as Jack thrust his head into his hands.

"No! You're doing it wrong!"

Grace put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, calm down. We're still in a battle here."

The giant red bird was hovering in mid air, as the cat made a swipe at his hanging tail. He readied his wings for an attack, before he noticed Alopemon to the side, running in before Lynxmon could notice. Jack was calling out to him again, "What are you waiting for? Just do it!"

Mistramon made his decision. "Sorry, mate."

He wheeled out of the way as Alopemon barrelled in, catching the Lynxmon off guard. It remained on its feet and prepared to strike again, but before it could make a move it was met with an ice cold tail blade to the face. The flaming wildcat dispersed as if made from smoke, and the last of the data in the clearing settled.

Grace nodded to her partner in approval, but was surprised to find her brother turning on her, anger In his voice. "What did you do that for?"

Grace blinked. "But we won…"

"That's not what I meant. Mistramon was about to win that one; why didn't you call Alopemon back?"

"Because Mistramon might not have done it. Alopemon had the best shot; he just let her take it."

"Oh, you don't get it!"

Aaron stepped in, Galvamon devolving behind him. "Look, we've gotten rid of the Fire forces for now. Don't get uptight just because you wanted a chance to show off."

Jack snorted, but ignored the older boy, instead directing his attention towards his tamer, who was looking slightly irritated at his partner's attitude. Vulpimon and Velocimon watched as the two began to bicker.

"I don't see what you're so annoyed about."

"Well, you never fight properly any more. You always let someone else finish it for you."

Mistramon, devolving to Perimon, looked taken aback as he spluttered with indignation. "I do perfectly fine. I'm not _just_ out to prove myself better than everyone else you know. That's a given."

Vulpimon smirked under her breath. "You wish."

Jack wasn't convinced. "Well I want us to be the heroes just once. We've never been the ones to save everyone. Why can't you take something on by yourself?"

Perimon stamped his foot, genuinely angry now. "Look, mister, I just saved your life here. I tend to do a lot of that. I'm not here to win anything, I'm here to protect you and I swear I'm going to do that, whether you think I'm good enough or not."

Jack pouted. "I knew it. You don't think I'm good enough to fight." He stomped off deeper into the forest, his partner marching after him. Aaron looked at Grace, and sighed.

"You know, I do try, but I really don't think I can deal with this leader business when everyone's so melodramatic all the time."

Grace aimlessly stroked her partner's head, a knowing look in her eye. "I'd better go after him. I think he's just been worn down this past couple of days."

The two of them headed off after her brother, leaving Aaron and his dinosaur alone. The area still smelled slightly of burnt wood from where the Lynxmon had marched in and began their rampage. It had happened so fast that Aaron hadn't had time to call the others, but luckily their Digimon had been enough to quell the menace. This time, at least.

Velocimon glanced up at his partner. "These attacks are becoming more frequent now. I have a bad feeling that Martyaxmon is up to something."

"You and me both, mate." Aaron looked into the deep forest, as if he could see the secrets that lay beyond it.

"I think we need to be prepared, at least. Something big is coming."

* * *

With an angry grunt Jack kicked at a stick on the ground, sending it spinning off into the leaves. He looked up and covered his eyes as the sun bore down on him, turning the forest golden. Well, what was left of the forest; the attacks had become so frequent that the whole place was beginning to look incredibly ragged and frayed, with great gaping holes with the lush canopy had once been.

Grumpily, Jack sat down on the ground and brought his knees up close, mumbling to himself. It wasn't fair. Every time he thought he could step in and do something, someone else would come along and do it better.

It didn't help that he had this stupid problem. His eyes glanced down to the sleeve around his knee, and the bony-white joint that it held. It looked so normal, but Jack knew all too well that it was a time-bomb; push it just that bit too far, and it would all collapse, rendering him completely helpless.

He sighed, and buried his head in his arms. He'd always imagined someone would come up one day, touch it and miraculously make it better. He hated being the one person who couldn't play sports with everyone else, and who was never approached for games at lunchtime. It wasn't that people hated him. They just knew he couldn't do it. Hell, he knew he couldn't do it, but that never really softened the blow he felt with each rejection.

He heard footsteps coming up behind him. Grace smiled sheepishly, Perimon and Vulpimon beside her. "You feeling okay?"

Jack sniffed. Evidently not. Grace sighed and sat down beside him. "You know, you can talk to me."

"What's the point?" Jack shuffled slightly. "No-one gives me a chance around here."

Grace ran her fingers through her hair. She could see this was going to be productive.

Perimon sidled up to his partner. "Look mate, I'm sorry I shouted back there. Really I am. It's just…"

He bit his lower beak, unsure. Vulpimon nodded at him for encouragement.

"It's not that we think you can't do anything, it really isn't. You've helped with so many things. But you need to stop rushing into battles thinking we're all invincible."

Jack lifted his head. "I know it's not a game, Perimon."

"I know you know. But it's not a competition either. When we fight, we'll fight together. That way we'll win."

Slowly Jack loosened up. Perimon smiled at him, but he looked away, instead looking over the forest. There were speckles of leaves floating in the air, the sunlight glinting off of them. Jack sighed.

"Tell me though, have I really done anything? Someone's always had to save me; usually you, Perimon. You must be sick of it by now, me always getting into trouble."

Grace shook her head. "Don't say that."

"That's right. I'll always be around to help you if you need it." Perimon nudged the boy. "You're important to me."

Vulpimon hid her gaze knowingly.

Jack leant back, look up at the sky. He raised his hand, as if to grasp the very air itself.

"I know. It's silly of me; I'm just being painful. But I just want one chance. One chance to prove I can win for once. By myself, I mean."

Grace and Vulpimon looked at each other; they didn't know what to say to that. Grace stood up, and was about to head back, when she heard a familiar humming sound. She looked up.

"Pteramon!"

The blue giant, having fully healed now from the Martyaxmon battle, landed next to them and nodded in greeting. "Hello, you four."

Perimon smirked. "Always the one for sudden appearences, aren't you." The giant blue dinosaur had been much more upcoming with the group now, having gotten over some of the guilt from his earlier attack. However he was still slightly hesitent; he'd only really relax when Grace was around, and even then, he was constantly trying to please them.

Pteramon ignored the falcon's remark. "I have some news. You might find it interesting…what's up with Jack?"

"Me?" Jack shrugged. "Everything's fine, I guess."

Grace nodded, "Go ahead, what's your news."

"I've found the pale boy."

Jack and Perimon double-took simultaneously, Jack scrabbling to his feet. "You found Kai?"

Pteramon nodded. "Well, I saw him. Briefly. It was only for a split second; he was headed into a temple of some kind, some way away from here."

"How far was it? I mean for you to fly?"

The big metal bird thought about it for a second. "About twenty minutes, give or take? Why, do you think…"

Jack turned to his sister, a new spring in his step. "Grace, I can find him! I can find Kai and bring him back to us!"

Vulpimon blinked. "Wait, what are you suggesting?"

"Me and Mistramon; we can fly over and find him, I can talk to him and persuade him to come back to us. We know where he is; Mistramon'll be fast enough to do it." The boy turned, looking expectantly at his stunned partner. "Won't you?"

"Uuh…?"

"Out of the question." Grace shook her head, "You can't go out on your own; not when there are Fire forces preparing to attack us like this."

"But Mistramon's powerful; he can take care of them. And if we get Kai back we'll be powerful again."

"Well, why don't we tell the others and Eloise or someone could go with you-"

"No, please!" Jack grabbed his sister's sleeve, looking up at her with puppy-like eyes.

"I can do this. Please, just let me go and I'll be fine. Please!"

Grace bit her lip. She knew her brother could look after himself, but then again…anything could happen out there…it was a bad idea…

"Let us go, Grace."

Perimon stepped forward, standing by his partner. "I'm strong enough, I can look after him if it comes to it. And if we don't take this chance now, we may not get another. Let's go and find Kai."

"Are you sure? I should really tell someone…"

Jack shook his head, raising his D-Nexus. "I can contact you through this, can't I? If I do need more help, which I won't, I can call you. Please though, let me do this on my own."

Grace looked at her own partner. Vulpimon looked uneasy, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea, Perimon."

"I trust him." Grace nodded, "Okay, I'll keep quiet for now. But be careful, okay? I'm trusting you to come back safe, whether Kai's with you or not."

Jack beamed, and ran towards his sister, throwing his arms around her. "Thank you Grace! Thank you!" He then stood up straight, holding his D-Nexus high. "I won't let you down!"

He turned to the red bird next to him, "You ready, Perimon?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, partner."

"Primal Control!"

Within seconds the tenacious red falcon had been replaced by the majestic crimson eagle, who bent down to allow Jack to climb onto his back. He looked at his sister and grinned again, "I'll be back before you know it."

Grace gave a small smile as Mistramon and Pteramon took off, Pteramon pointing the way.

"I know you will, Jack."

She watched as the two flying giants set off over the treetops, the leaves rustling behind them.

"Please be safe."

* * *

Jack loved the feel of the wind as it caressed his hair and clothes, and the view of the forest panning out below him. Mistramon glided with nary a flap of his wings, and Pteramon, flying in front of them, didn't even need to flap; simply propelling himself via air jets.

Jack lifted himself up slightly, putting a hand on his head to prevent himself from losing his cap.

"Whereabouts are we going?"

Pteramon turned his head just a little, his bad eye looking blindly at the two partners.

"It's a temple. Not really sure what for; I've never been inside, but I expect you might find something interesting there."

"What do you think of that, huh?" Mistramon grinned up at his partner. "We're gonna be explorers of long-lost ruins."

Jack shrugged. "I just hope we find Kai there."

"Right." Mistramon smiled uncertainly, before focusing on following the dinosaur ahead.

"Thank you for helping us, Pteramon. We really mean it."

Pteramon closed his eye. "I'm just glad you'll accept me. All I really want is to strike back at the Fire Kingdom. I've never really given much thought to gathering allies."

Mistramon banked slightly when he glided just a little too low, causing Jack to grip on harder.

Pteramon sighed, the air whipping his breath away. "It's hard; being unable to save the ones you care about."

Mistramon turned away. "You're dead right there."

"What is it, Mistramon?"

The bird felt a little ashamed, but he carried on. "I suppose I should tell you. You are my partner after all."

"You don't have to if it's painful."

Mistramon gave a chuckle. "It's not a problem, don't worry. You see…"

"We're here."

Pteramon slowed and angled his wings upwards, Mistramon doing the same. They landed in a clearing; larger than the ones they usually settled in. The trees were taller here; more spindly. At the far end of the clearing was a great stone monolith, intricately carved and etched with ancient Digicode. The three stared in awe at it, Jack letting off a whistle.

Pteramon coughed slightly. "Um, you two go ahead. I don't exactly fit inside, I'll stay out here and keep watch."

"Thanks anyway." There was a flash of red light as Mistramon devolved, and looked at his partner. "Ready?"

"I'm fine. Are you ready?"

Jack looked up at the towering building before him; he couldn't even see the top, and he had no idea how far down into the ground it went. He gulped, "I guess I should tell you I'm not great with dark, cramped places."

He looked worriedly at his partner, expecting Perimon to refuse to go any further. The bird merely shrugged, "You and me both. I'm a bloody falcon."

Jack blinked, and Perimon coughed in apology, "Sorry, language. I know. I'll be good."

Jack giggled. "Just don't let Grace hear you; she'll go nuts." He stepped forward. "Let's go."

* * *

Eloise was the first to notice Grace sitting with her back to a tree trunk, her partner lying down beside her. The afternoon was beginning to draw on, and the shadows were stretching far into the green wilderness. Eloise crouched down next to the younger girl.

"You okay there? You look a little lost."

Grace rubbed her eyes. "I'm just a little tired. Don't worry about me."

"Fine. I don't suppose you've seen your brother anywhere, have you?"

"He and Perimon were headed off somewhere to train or something. I don't know; Perimon's probably keeping an eye on him."

Eloise frowned. "It's not like you to be so lax when your brother's concerned." She shrugged. "Oh well, so long as you're sure."

She headed off, and Vulpimon breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at her partner, who was looking more deflated by the second.

"Cheer up, partner. It might never happen, you know."

Grace laughed. "Yes, but in this world, it always seems to."

"Hmm, I suppose so." Vulpimon readjusted herself and leant her head against her partner's legs, her warm fur brushing against Grace's skin.

"Pardon me for asking, but if you're always so worried about him, why did you let him go?"

Grace sighed. "Because he was adamant. He's never had a chance to prove himself, and I've usually been the one holding him back. I suppose you could say I owe it to him."

Vulpimon closed her eyes. "I suppose it's got to be hard on the poor kid."

"That's why I hope he can do this. I really do."

* * *

Jack's shoes tapped on the hard stone floor as he and his partner tiptoed through the temple, keeping an eye out for any unexpected traps or Fire Kingdom forces. The temple seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning into an underground labyrinth.

Jack looked around worriedly. "Are we gonna be able to get out of here?"

"Let's hope so." Perimon squinted ahead, trying to make out any sign of a different chamber. No, there was only the same old stone corridor. Stable, yes. Decorative, quite possibly. Absolutely bloody wonderful for a warrior of Air.

Jack stumbled next to him and Perimon started, "You okay mate?"

Jack looked away. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine."

He took another step forward but Perimon stretched out a wing and stopped him. "Don't feel you have to go on right now. We can take a break if that's what you need."

He looked down at Jack's knee; it didn't show any signs of stress, but then again it never did, until it decided to slip without warning. Jack exhaled. "Yeah, you're right. Let's stop for a bit."

The two sat down, leaning against the wall. Perimon still kept an ear out, but there seemed to be no immediate danger. The tunnel was dark, but the light from Jack's D-Nexus was enough to let them seem a fair distance.

Jack fiddled with the device before glancing to the side, catching his Digimon looking up at him worriedly.

"You must think I'm annoying."

"What?"

"Well, I keep doing stupid things and you always have to come and get me out of everything."

Perimon spluttered, before trying to think up an answer, but Jack simply shook his head. "Don't worry. I've been here long enough to know when I'm not helping."

"Well, I've been here longer than you. I know that you're a much bigger help than you think you are."

"How?"

Perimon thought for a minute. "Well, for starters, you exasperate Velocimon. That's one good thing."

Jack laughed, quite unlike the usual loud giggles that he burst into. This one was quiet, subdued; almost contemplative. It was as if the stone walls had squeezed Jack's bright and cheerful personality to one tenth of its usual size.

The boy tilted his head, the light from the screen flickering across his face. "You never told me about…you know…"

"What?"

Jack frowned. "I don't know. You stopped before you could tell me."

Perimon let off his own chuckle as the memories came back. "It's a bit of a long story."

He took a breath.

"I was still young when the war first broke out. You could tell just by looking at me; I was loud, I was obnoxious; I thought I could take on the world."

"You still do." Jack looked around sheepishly at the bird's annoyed look, "…kinda…"

"Anyway, there was only a small group of us. My parents, and their children, me being the second youngest. My parents wanted to defend us, but I was naïve and stupid. I trained every day, waiting for the Fire Kingdom to come so I could beat them off."

Perimon sighed, the light of the D-Nexus glistening in his eyes as Jack listened intently.

"They came. One night, that's all it took. They wiped out everything on that peak, down to the last clump of moss. I was the only one to survive, only because of a small group of freedom fighters. They came just in time as I was fleeing the purge. I still remember walking away from it; I couldn't bring myself to look back."

"That was where I first met Velocimon. He coaxed me to join him with the last great assault on the Fire Kingdom. Needless to say I spat in his face and told him to go to hell." Perimon let off another harsh chuckle. "I never got on with him, even back then. Him or his best buddy Pikamon. In fact I don't think I got on with anybody, except for her."

"Her?" Jack couldn't help but grin slightly. "When you say her, you mean…girlfriend?"

At this Perimon did burst into fits of giggles. He wiped his eyes with his wing, holding the tears back as best he could. It wouldn't do to cry in front of his partner.

"It would never have worked. I was a bird. She was a fish."

"Oh."

"Her name was Placomon. She was tough and thick-skinned, but you've never known a more caring Digimon than she was. She was the one who got through to me in the end, when Velocimon and Pikamon had given me up for a failure. She supported me, convinced me to fight on. It's through training with her that I became as strong as I was today."

Jack was silent, listening to his partner bear his soul.

"I guess that wasn't strong enough after all."

Perimon nodded, "You probably remember. We didn't win that battle. As a last resort nine of us were gathered together to complete one last mission."

"To bring us here with the elements…"

Perimon nodded, the tears welling again. "We were supposed to all meet up, but we decided to take different routes. Just to stop the Fire Kingdom from finding us out. Vulpimon, Placomon and I went around the Southern Daggers, hoping to avoid the last of the Fire Tyrants."

The bird shook his head fiercely, almost shouting now. "It was a stupid plan! It wasn't a Fire Tyrant, it was Cephalomon! He found us, and he cornered us. I tried my best, but even with the power of my element I had no chance against him. So she…she…" Perimon swallowed as Jack put his arm around the bird. "She swam away. I remember, the very last thing she said to me before she dived. 'Buck up, Perimon. It may never happen.' I watched her, as she leapt from the peak and punched Cephalomon square in the face. Then she fell down to the water below, swimming away as he chased after her. Vulpimon and I managed to escape, but…"

"That's enough." Jack stroked his partner's feathers as the bird finished shaking. "I didn't know you'd gone through this much. I shouldn't have asked you to tell me." He felt close to crying himself.

Perimon stood up straight and sniffed. "Guess I'm the pathetic one now, huh."

"No, you aren't, Perimon." Jack shifted around onto his knees. "You're still the coolest partner I could have had."

Perimon smiled, before breaking into laughter again. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be acting so sappy." He paused. "Promise me one thing, alright?"

Jack nodded. "What is it?"

"You're all I've got left. Just please promise me, throughout all the battles we're going to have, that you won't die on me."

Jack nodded again, fervently this time. "I promise. If that's the only way I can help, I swear I won't die."

He held out a hand towards his partner. "Shake?"

Perimon nodded, holding out a wing.

"Shake."

"What's that, over there?"

Perimon frowned, and looked down the corridor. Now that they'd been in the darkness for long enough, he thought he could make out something in the wall. Perhaps a doorway, or…

Jack stood up, eager to get going. "Let's go and check it out."

The two did so, entering the doorway and into a vast stone chamber. It was domed, and the walls and ceiling were beautifully sculpted and smooth. There was a torch in the centre, but it obviously hadn't been lit in ages, and the dust covering it was visible even from a distance. The only light came from tiny slits, way up high in the ceiling. Jack whistled as he waved his D-Nexus around, trying to shed some more light on the subject.

"Here, what do you think of this?"

Perimon beckoned Jack over to one of the walls, and the two looked closely. There were in fact two sets of markings on the wall; one was an ornate pattern, but the other was a random scrawl, as if somebody had been over it with a marker pen. In fact, it appeared to be some kind of writing.

Perimon shook his head. "This is the same writing as the stuff on the mask. I can't read this; it's too old."

"Well, what about this?"

Perimon looked at what his partner was holding, surprised to see it seemed to be some kind of manuscript, rather lovingly bound and held with a bone pin.

"Where did you get that?"

"It was on the floor. They're everywhere."

Jack shone his device and revealed what he was talking about; piles and piles of manuscripts and parchments. All contained the same scrawled archaic language, bar a few, which instead showed numbers and equations too complicated for Jack to get his head around. Scattered in between the papers were countless long, black, velvet feathers, like those of a raven.

Perimon bent down and looked closely at one. "I've seen these somewhere before." Then it hit him. "Karatenmon!"

"What?"

"Don't you see? The language, the feathers…I think the Karatenmon who lost his mask lived here."

Jack nodded, his fingers flicking through the manuscript he was holding. "So what for? What was he doing here?"

Perimon scratched beneath his beak. "I don't know. Judging from the parchments, though, maybe he was a librarian? Or a scholar?"

"Or just a nerd?"

Perimon threw his wings up, "Well, probably. I don't know."

Jack accidentally dropped the manuscript and it fell open, revealing more equations, along with a strange drawing of a vaguely human figure, reaching out from the flat page.

"Do you think Kai found this place?"

Before Perimon could answer, there came a rustling. The boy and bird were immediately on edge, Jack hiding his D-Nexus and its incriminating light. He leant towards his partner, "You don't think that could be him, do you?"

"Hope so. Doubt it." Perimon and his partner slowly backed away towards the entrance, fully aware that they had no idea how to get out of this place.

All of a sudden, unexpectedly, the torch in the centre of the room lit up with a brilliant white light. Jack and Perimon shielded their eyes as the chamber seemed to grow in size, showing the true extent of the detail. Any other time they would have been really impressed, but they were too engrossed in the centre of the room. The torch was alight with a great flickering flame. That meant there was a Fire Digimon around.

From within the bowels of the torch crawled four squat, armoured creatures; half insect, half man. Their eyes glowed with the fury of the Fire Kingdom and their butterfly-like wings shone with intricate patterns of red, orange and yellow. They turned to one another, letting off harsh clicks and squeaks, before focusing their attention on the two figures near the entrance.

One of the creatures took a step forward, its body still glowing brightly from the flames of the torch. Jack held out his D-Nexus, scanning the beasts before him.

"_Shadramon. Armour Level, Virus Attribute. Attacks: Flash Buster, Psychic Wave, Serrated Screw_"

Perimon gritted his beak. "They must have been guarding this place."

Jack grinned sheepishly. "We didn't touch anything, we swear."

The Shadramon didn't believe him, instead unleashing a terrifying crackle and leaping at the two, covered in white-hot fire. Jack scrabbled as he grabbed his partner, heading for the entrance.

"Run!"

Jack held his breath as the darkness swallowed him up again. He forced himself to keep running, expecting to feel the crackling heat of the Shadramon engulf him at any moment.

Beside him, Perimon was calling out, "Just follow my voice! Don't worry, it'll be fine, we'll get out. Just follow-"

There was a flash and a screech from nowhere. Perimon broke off, and Jack looked around frantically.

"Perimon?"

His voice must have alerted the Shadramon, for the incessant clicking grew suddenly louder. Panicking, Jack ran down the nearest tunnel he could find. This was bad. He had no idea where he was, and the walls were pressing in on him. He clenched his fists, willing himself to keep going. It was all very well him not being able to strain himself physically, but to be lost in a place like this…where his claustrophobia was kicking in as well…

All of a sudden he slammed into something tall and hard. He yelped as he fell backwards, and was surpsied to discover that the something did much the same. For a few seconds there was silence, then the something moved, scrabbling around on the stone floor.

Jack got to his feet and held his hands out in a vain effort to defend himself, but all of a sudden the something spoke.

"Is that…Jack?"

The voice was husky and was barely louder than a whisper, but it was familiar. After all, it had that faint Scottish accent that Jack remembered so well.

"Kai?"

Before the introduction could be followed up on, another voice rang out in the darkness, this one belonging to Colchimon.

"There's a way out of here. Quick, or those Shadramon will catch us." Colchimon paused. "Jack? What are you doing here?"

Jack heard the crackling coming closer again. "There's no time. You said you found a way out."

Kai held out a hand, "Grab on. Colchimon can see in the dark, and he knows where he's going."

"Wait, what about Perimon?" Jack looked back, suddenly aware of the danger his partner was now in.

There was another pause.

"Colchimon, can you get us somewhere safe for the moment? Perimon's still stuck back there."

"I'll do what I can."

It was a short journey, but a hellish one. Jack couldn't see a thing, being blindly to goodness knows where by the boy who had walked away. A few times he tripped, and he simply prayed that his knee wouldn't give out, since that would leave him completely stuck with no way of escape. All the while, the vision of his partner being pursued by those…things burned in his mind.

Then, it was over, for now. Colchimon pulled them into another chamber, which thankfully had windows high up, letting in a tiny amount of light to see by. The shadow dragon pulled away and headed back towards the entrance, turning as he did so.

"You stay here for the moment. If the Shadramon come before we do, run for it."

Kai nodded as he lay against one of the walls, seeming more out of breath than Jack felt. Colchimon gave them a worried look, before disappearing back into the dark corridors.

Jack sat down next to Kai, getting out his D-Nexus to try and see if his partner was okay. He was greeted with a red cross.

"No signal…" The boy buried his head in his hands, the enormity of what he'd got himself into pressing down on him.

"Why does everything hate me?"

Beside him, Kai turned his head a little, catching a look at the offending device.

"You shouldn't have come here, Jack. It's dangerous."

Wearily, Jack raised his head a fraction. "Don't you start. Please."

Kai blinked, before letting out a chuckle. "It's okay. It's not exactly like I'm a good role model."

"That doesn't matter," Jack sat up, aware that while he had this chance, he could at least talk to the older boy.

"Pteramon said he saw you come in here. He said it wasn't that far, so I…I decided to come too." He looked down at his feet, shuffling them slightly. "I thought I could bring you back."

He knew Kai was shaking his head without even looking. "You're better off without me. All I'll do is bring you trouble. Hell, that's all I do."

"But we need you, Kai! Please, you've got to come back. We can't fight off Martyaxmon without you're help! They're planning something, we know they are."

"You can win through. Trust me, you don't-"

"WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING?" Jack stood up and grabbed Kai by the shoulders, trying to force some sense into the boy. Kai raised his head in front of him, and he stopped, for the first time getting a good look at the older boy's body in the dim light of the chamber.

Kai was leaning, almost lounging, up against the stone wall, as if all the energy had been drained from his body. He looked terrible, even more so than when he'd left. His hair was matted; greasy spikes and stray tufts pointing everywhere, more so than usual. His skin was so pale that it seemed almost grey, as if the boy was slowly being drained of blood, and the flesh around his cheeks and jaw had retracted, the sharp bones pointing through. Kai's clothes had been worn and torn, and there were great holes and scorch marks over the thick raincoat. Jack could even see what seemed to be great scratch wounds through some of them, healing slowly but definitely visible.

Worst of all were his eyes. When Jack had last seen them, they'd been as cold and sharp as icicles, but now they'd lost even that little colour; his irises were almost the same as the whites that surrounded them, making him seem not quite alive.

Jack couldn't help but retract slightly when he saw the extent of Kai's deterioration. The older boy smiled weakly, and gently pulled his coat up, as if to hide the worst of it.

"Believe me now?"

Jack's mouth flapped open to speak, but then he thought against it. When he couldn't think of anything tactful to say, Jack simply bowed his head in apology.

"I must look a real mess, musn't I…"

"What happened to you?"

"Too many things."

Jack's arms fell down beside him as he regarded the boy before him. He looked absolutely pitiful.

"I want to come back. Truly I do. I want to come and be with you guys, and join the team again. But something's come up. Something I can't ignore. I haven't been able to ignore it for a while. And until I deal with it, I can't travel with you. Any of you."

He smiled again. "It's nothing personal."

* * *

"Where are they?"

Grace was biting her thumb hard as she paced up and down, Vulpimon watching her every step. The girl looked up at the sky; it was beginning to get dark, and there was no sign of her brother returning. Slowly but surely, the others had begun to get suspicious. At least, that's how it seemed.

Vulpimon pawed her ear nervously, "I'm sure they're absolutely fine."

"You say that." Grace stood over her partner, her eyes darting from fox to sky and back again. "I'm the one who let him leave. If something happens to him then it's my fault."

"He's got Perimon with him. And Pteramon's nearby, and they might even have come across Kai by now…"

Grace's eyes widened. That wasn't as good a prospect as she'd have hoped.

The girl sighed. "You know, I need to tell someone."

"Tell someone what?"

Grace jumped as she saw Eloise, Kent and Aaron walk up to her, partners in tow. Aaron had a particularly dark expression, causing Grace's hands to shake slightly.

Velocimon folded his arms. "We've been looking for your brother all afternoon."

"I…I…"

Eloise knelt down and put her hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "If you know where he is then tell us. I don't know why you're hiding it but he might be in danger."

"I know he is!" Grace closed her eyes as she blurted all. "Pteramon came and said he'd found Kai, so Jack wanted to go off and bring him back, but he wanted to do it on his own, and I…I let him go."

Aaron looked at the others, "What?"

Vulpimon stepped down, putting herself between them and her partner out of instinct. "Pteramon said he'd found a temple, elsewhere in the forest. That way." At this she nodded her head in the direction the two birds had flown.

Aaron buried his face in his hands. "That little idiot! What does he think he's playing at? This isn't just a game!"

"It's not his fault!" Grace shook her head frantically, much to Eloise's surprise. "I was the one who let him go; it's my fault."

Aaron turned on her. "Okay then, why did you let him go? If you care about your brother so much you should be trying just a little harder to keep him out of trouble."

Grace flinched and Aaron withdrew, aware he'd probably gone too far. Kent looked elsewhere, not wanting to get involved.

"They should still be okay. I think we can assume that Martyaxmon hasn't made his official move yet. We just need to find out where they are."

"I'll go." Eloise got out her D-Nexus, Ladomon poised behind her. "Who knows, maybe Kai'll be there too. At any rate, we need to get Jack back."

Grace stepped forward, "Please, can I come with you?"

Her question was met with a snort from Velocimon. "You've done enough."

"Stop it." Eloise glared at the dinosaur. "Let it go. We've all made mistakes while we've been here."

"Speak for yourself."

"Can it, lizard boy." Vulpimon had her hackles up, growling menacingly at Velocimon. He raised an arm but Aaron held him back, keeping him out of it. "Now's not the time."

Eloise raised her D-Nexus, "Primal Control!"

"Evolution Activate!"

In a few seconds the sleek, serpentine body of Ladomon had expanded into the muscular bipedal body of Luminemon. She bent down and Eloise clambered onto her back, looking back at the motley group.

"We'll be back soon. Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine."

Grace watched as the dragon and her tamer climbed up into the sky, heading towards the temple.

* * *

Back in the temple, the fading light was making the rough stone walls incredibly oppressive. Jack held himself tight in a ball, trying not to think of the temples walls collapsing and crushing them both. There had still been no sign of the returning Colchimon or Perimon.

Suddenly, a noise started up; a faint rustling, like the sound of wings fluttering through the air. Slowly, Kai got to his feet, Jack following suit.

"Do you hear that?"

"Yeah. Do you think it could be them?"

Kai swallowed. "Somehow I don't think so." Holding Jack by the shoulder he backed away towards the second entrance, keeping watch on the first one.

Screaming blue murder, the Shadramon burst into the chamber, sending dust tumbling down from the walls as they collided again and again. Their bodies were covered with white-hot flame, and they scrabbled furiously, having sensed the heartbeats of the two boys from some way away. One of them looked up and saw them standing there, the fire making their shadows dance.

"Run!"

Both tamers made a break for it back into the darkness, the insect-men following in deadly pursuit. Jack hung on for dear life as Kai turned corner after corner; he was sure the boy had no idea where he was going, but he just prayed they'd be able to find some way out soon.

"Please. I promised Grace I'd come back, I told her I would. Please let's just get out!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something flash in the darkness. At first glance it seemed like one of the Shadramon, but suddenly Kai yanked him back, bringing him into view of the light again.

It was faint, but it was sky. They'd found an exit.

The walls shook as the Shadramon collided again behind them. Jack and Kai ran forward simultaneously as they made their way up the steps and exploded out into the open air.

Jack was ecstatic. "We made it! We're not going to die!"

"Hold off a little, soldier." Kai looked around, looking even more bedraggled in the open air. "I don't think we're quite in the clear yet."

Jack stopped and looked around himself. He couldn't believe it; somehow they'd made their way to the roof of the temple. He hadn't realised how big it was from the front, but now he was up here he could see all around the surrounding forest. He could even see pillars of smoke far away, where the Fire Kingdom must have set up their war camp. The two boys themselves were standing on some kind of elevated stone courtyard, complete with well-weathered statues and grotesques adorning the corners. It was well-constructed and quite pretty, but it did pose one major problem.

"How do we get down?"

As if in answer, their former situation decided to show its ugly head again as the Shadramon burst out from the entrance, screeching in pain as the sun burned their eyes. Jack and Kai moved out of their way, but it soon became clear that they had nowhere else to run. They looked upwards as the first of the Shadramon squinted down at them, hovering on its fluorescent wings.

Kai called over to the younger boy, "Keep moving! Don't let them catch you!"

Jack was already running, calling into his D-Nexus. "Perimon! Perimon, can you hear me!"

No answer. Not even a flicker.

"Perimon!"

The boy cried out in vain as the feral bug-men descended, claws bared and fires burning, eyes glowing in anticipation of the feed.

* * *

_Lost. All alone in the darkness, turning in ever tighter and more compressive circles. Each corner only taking him closer to nowhere. Every new decision ending in failure._

_ What a fitting metaphor. _

_ He hadn't meant for it to happen But one slip, one crash into an unseen wall and that was it. His partner was gone, chased by the creatures. He'd failed, yet again he'd failed. Everyone he'd tried to save, and they'd all slipped through his grasp. Placomon. Pikamon. Mother. Father. Siblings._

_ He could see it, dead ahead. The lone figure reaching towards him. One hand in accusation._

_ Except it wasn't a hand. It was a wing. Colchimon nodded._

_ "You're not done yet. Follow me."_

_ He'd made a promise. He was not going to break it._

* * *

The commotion on the roof had attracted Pteramon's attention, and he flew straight up, seeing the Shadramon before he'd even reached their level.

"Get away from them now, you parasites!"

With a roar he aimed his sharpened beak straight towards the largest, but it saw him coming and spiralled out of the way. With a new target the leader one of his comrades, and they both faced off against the dinosaur. On the roof, Jack breathed a sigh of relief, but was quickly shaken out of it by Kai, "Jack, behind you!"

Jack leapt down to the ground from instinct as his own assailant corkscrewed past, burrowing into the hard rock floor where he'd been standing. He scrabbled to his feet yet again.

Kai was busy dealing with his own lone attacker, dodging behind different bits of sculpture and rubble as the insect snarled, its body aflame.

The two had been able to hold out this far, but there was only so much they could do against four powerful monsters. And the Shadramon were getting smarter.

Pteramon humphed and spread his wings wide, preparing to let off a volley off missiles. In immediate response, the Two Shadramon facing him shrieked, letting off devastatingly painful waves of psychic energy. Pteramon bucked from the shock of it, his missiles flying wide. He gritted his teeth, but the psychic was scrambling his head and he began to descend, swearing as he careered down into the treetops below.

"Damnit!"

His cry could be heard from the rooftop, where Jack and Kai had lost their only source of protection. With no more adversaries, the first two Shadramon got back to their original business. The once smooth temple roof had been dotted with holes and rubble, and while the stone was solid, there was only so much damage the building could take before something gave way.

"Jack, watch out!"

Jack skipped out of the way as the rock beneath him fell away, but he felt something hard pressing against his back; he looked up to see one of the statues leering down at him. There was another shake and Jack covered his head, feeling a brief jolt of pain.

Dust entered his eyes as he opened them, and he coughed and spluttered. The grotesque, weakened by the ongoing battle, had obviously collapsed around him. There were gashes down his bare arms and legs, but thankfully his knee still seemed to be in place. He heard the Shadramon letting out a gutteral rasp, and he made to move.

Except he couldn't. Feeling another jolt of pain as he tried to stand up, Jack looked at his other leg. Or rather, the large fragment of what used to be the gargoyle's wing, which was currently pinning the small boy's limb to the ground. He tugged. No movement. He pulled again, pushing against the large slab of rock, but it was no use. His leg felt numb under the pressure; from what he could tell, it didn't seem to be broken, but it certainly wasn't going anywhere.

It was at this moment that Jack momentarily relieved himself of his sister's ban on swearing.

_"BLOODY HELL!"_

As the dust cleared, Jack looked up to see the Shadramon now looking in his direction, his sudden outburst having gotten its attention. He sneered, "What are you looking at, you flame-grilled butterfly?"

Said flame-grilled butterfly flew down towards him, and Jack shut his eyes.

"No you don't!"

Kai, having noticed Jack's peril, made a run for it, yelling at the Shadramon and making it turn its head for an instant. Kai barrelled into it, sending it flying away, but he quickly had to run as his actions caused himself to be pursued anew. Meanwhile, the third and fourth Shadramon turned their attentions on Jack, who watched them approach with dread. There was no way Kai was going to deal with these two. He was struggling against his own.

"Why does it have to be me?"

Jack had his eyes tightly closed, waiting for the bug-men to come and rip him to pieces. Hadn't he made a promise against that just a little while ago? Not that he could do anything about it. He never could. It was like with Martyaxmon; he could try and be as brave and independent as he could, but he had no power against this world. If nobody was there to help him, he'd have been dead long ago.

And yet they were there to help him. Jack remembered the other's concern when they'd almost lost him down that ravine, or when fighting the Pipismon. All of them had been there to help him at somepoint; Aaron and Eloise. Kai. Grace. Perimon.

Jack smiled as the danger came closer. It was as Perimon had said. The least he could do was stay alive. For everyone. For the team. For himself.

He gripped his D-Nexus tight. Seconds before impact, he whispered. It was almost inaudible, and seemed to be to nobody in particular, but it was there.

"I trust you, Perimon. I'm here."

With a roar too loud for one his size, Perimon exploded from the temple entrance, aiming straight towards his partner. His prowess as a falcon and a warrior of Air gave him speed, and he barrelled straight into both Shadramon, both of them letting off shrieks of surprise.

He turned to his partner, "Are you okay?"

"A bit stuck at the moment."

"I thought I told you not to die while I was still around!"

Jack smiled, gripping his D-Nexus. "I wasn't going to."

Perimon smiled back, but he soon found himself being pressed into the rock floor by two angered bug-men, their flaming claws burning into him. He gritted his teeth against the pain but held firm, pushing upwards with all his might.

"Don't think you're getting away with this. I made a promise. In my stupid life full of failure, I will always have one thing I can fight to protect."

He was silenced by the Shadramon shoving his beak, hard, into the stone.

Jack leant back, feeling almost dizzy. There was nothing he could do right now. All he could do was will his partner on. His life was in Perimon's claws.

"I believe you, Perimon."

In his hand, the D-Nexus sprung to life, spreading red tendrils all over Jack's body, culminating in the symbol on his chest. Jack felt free; almost as if he'd lost a heavy burden. He raised his arm as the energy grew, spiralling to a climax at the end.

All the Shadramon were transfixed on the bright red light, as Kai looked in awe at the event. Colchimon stared too, unsure what exactly was happening.

On Luminemon's back, Eloise felt it too, seeing the bright red glow in the distance. Despite herself, she smiled.

"Primal Fury!"

Perimon's form flickered, then disintegrated, the red data particles burning into the Shadramon as they reeled back. The red static mass writhed and expanded, becoming long and twisting, like a vast serpent. One end extended and taped into a smooth, winged blade, with great bronze rings setting themselves along the length of the body. The other end extended four golden wings and a golden ring from its back, the head expanding into a great toothed beak. The static faded, and the new creature spiralled slowly up into the sky, its great length trailing behind it.

It was massive, at least 25 metres long, and as it flew upwards it had the appearance of a Roman standard; majestic and regal, but with a savage and ruthless streak. It levelled itself out and surveyed the scene with its four beady eyes, each one able to pick out the various figures on the rooftop far below. It raised its beak and unleashed a call; a lone, melancholy cry that echoed out across the treetops.

"Cyclomon!"

The area was silent for a moment. Then the Shadramon started screeching again and the moment was lost. One by one they burst into flames and made for the humans; perhaps in a last-ditch attempt to piss off the giant sky-serpent hanging above them. Cyclomon narrowed his eyes and began to dive, sweeping his four massive wings and gaining speed.

He needn't have hurried though. The Shadramon had barely moved one metre before another cry erupted.

"Missile Storm!"

A volley of small explosives flew into the Shadramon's ranks, scattering them. A heavily-breathing Pteramon slowly climbed to the roof level, having finally gotten off the ground again.

Colchimon was rather huffy about the dinosaur's late appearance, "You took your time."

"Well, I apologise for my inconvenient aviation methods." Pteramon swung his head. "Look behind you."

Colchimon got the hint and swung his tail back, the dark blade connecting with the Shadramon's armour with a loud clang. Kai got out his D-Nexus, "There's a thought. Primal Control!"

Colchimon shifted mid-attack, turning into Achromon as he began to grapple with the bug-man. He glanced at his partner, "I'm fine. You go and help Jack."

The Shadramon were beginning to close in on the boy, but the wind was picking up as, high above, Cyclomon began to spin, round and round in a slowly shrinking helix. The Shadramon were buffeted, and Kai gritted his teeth. Whatever the sky-serpent was doing, they probably didn't want to be caught in the middle of it. Jack felt his D-Nexus vibrate and held it up close; amidst the noise he could still hear his partner's husky voice.

"_Get out of here_."

Jack nodded and pulled, trying in vain to get his leg out from beneath the rubble. Kai knelt down beside him, trying to manoeuvre it out.

"Hold still. You just need the right angle."

"Okay, I'm trying."

Agonisingly slowly, the statue's wing began to budge through the combined efforts of Kai, Jack and the rising wind. Suddenly, it shifted and Jack pulled himself free, getting up on his feet as soon as he could. He made a few awkward noises, causing Kai to look on in worry. How much damage had been done?

Jack grinned at Kai. "Sorry, pins and needles."

Kai was not impressed by the boy's mirth. "You need to get off this...watch out!"

Jack ducked as a passing Shadramon took a swipe at his head, but suddenly he heard a familiar voice.

"Photon Cannon!"

The Shadramon screamed as the beam of light hit it, sending it spinning down to the wrecked temple roof. Jack and Kai looked up to see Eloise atop her dragon, glaring down at the both of them.

"You have some explaining to do."

"Perfect timing." Kai pointed as he started running back towards his own partner. "Get on the dragon and get clear."

Luminemon scowled, "I am not a taxi service, you inconsiderate-"

"Not now, Luminemon." She flew her partner closer as Jack stood on the edge of the roof, glancing back worriedly. She called up to him, "Jump. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

"But what about Kai?"

Eloise shook her head, "He's got Achromon. And besides, there's no time." She glanced upwards. "Your partner seems to be planning something big."

Jack closed his eyes and jumped, landing safely on the wyvern's back. She wobbled slightly, before heading off in the other direction. Jack looked back; Pteramon was following them as they escaped the buffeting winds, and Kai and Achromon were also leaving, albeit in the opposite direction.

The Shadramon would have been following them, but they were currently struggling against the rising winds as Cyclomon spun faster and faster. The tornado was localised around the temple, but it was having a devastating effect, as the beautiful stonework and solid foundation was rocked to its very core. Jack gripped his D-Nexus tight as he felt the raging power of his partner. It was a power that had lain dormant for far too long, and the four Shadramon were now feeling the full brunt of it.

Everything ceased for a second. Cyclomon stopped mid-spin, his coils uncurling as he faced downwards. The air below him seemed to ripple and bend, the Shadramon completely trapped.

"Vortex Breaker!" cried the sky-dragon, as he shot a blast of air vertically downwards towards the temple.

The sound was ear-splitting, and the other flying Digimon rocked dangerously as the airblast hit them. The temple was obliterated in one single blow, shards of rock thrown into the earth and walls completely flattened. The four Shadramon were crushed in the space of a millisecond, their glistening data the only sign they'd even existed.

For a moment, the sound of the attack rang in the ears of the surrounding tamers and their Digimon. Then, it was over. Cyclomon's body flickered, then slowly disintegrated away, leaving the armoured form of Mistramon behind. Slowly, almost sheepishly, the bird approached the wyvern, who was still glaring at him.

"What do you think you're playing at?"

Mistramon grinned. "I think you'll find that's called being awesome."

"I think you'll find that's called being dangerous."

"Nah, he's awesome." Jack grinned himself as he clambered over onto his partner's back. "Of course he is. He's my partner."

Mistramon looked surprised for a moment, then closed his eyes, relieved. Just once, he'd been able to save someone.

Eloise looked into the horizon. "We'd better get back before we lose all light."

"Wait." Her partner lowered a little as Eloise looked in the direction her partner was facing. There, on the ground, stood Kai, Achromon hovering just next to him. The waning sunbeams caught his face and revealed his current state. Eloise gasped in shock, but the boy just bowed his head and smiled, turning to walk into the forest. Eloise held out a hand, but it was too late. He was already gone.

Achromon turned himself, stopping to steal one last glance at his life-long companion. Luminemon nodded. This was the way it had to be.

Both boy and dragon were gone. Eloise looked at the red bird next to her, Jack holding on tight to his back.

"So you did find Kai."

"Yeah."

"Did he tell you anything?"

"Not really."

"Figures." Eloise sighed as the group flew back to their current home, leaving the wreckage behind them.

"That idiot…"

* * *

They were back in twenty minutes, where the rest of the group was waiting for them. Jack's feet had scarcely touched the ground before Grace's arms were around him, her eyes wet with tears.

"Jack, I'm so glad you're okay. I'm sorry, this was all my fault, I should have been-"

"It's okay, sis." Gently, Jack pulled himself away. His head was low but he was gently smiling, looking around as he addressed the whole group.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to be useful, but I just ended up being stupid. As usual."

Aaron and Velocimon shared looks. They weren't really sure what else to say. Behind Jack, the newly devolved Perimon gave a little loop. "Aw come one, don't be too hard on yourself. Think about it; we got a new evolution to play with."

"Really?" Kent scratched his chin. "That could come in useful…"

Ladomon nodded. "Yeah, it's big and scary and makes some very loud noises. I think he'd get on quite well with Cephalomon."

Perimon grinned evilly, "Oh, I can't wait to meet squid-boy again!"

Jack smiled weakly. "It's been a long day. I'm off to bed." He walked past his sister and through the group towards one of the tents.

"Wait."

Jack turned again, seeing Aaron addressing him. "Look...about this...you don't need to prove yourself to us. You're no weaker than any of us."

Jack's gaze wandered down to the ground. For a moment, he looked much older than he actually was.

He smiled. "Don't worry. Just as long as I'm still alive, I've got nothing else I can prove."

He turned to head inside again, but hesitated, then turned back one last time, his gaze falling on the falcon, the fox and the little girl.

"Thanks, Perimon. You're really so…so amazing…"

He disappeared into the tent before anyone could reply. Confused and a little concerned, Perimon looked down at Grace, at the worried expression on her face.

For the girl was worried. Deathly so. She'd seen her brother go through horrible things, time after time, and he would always pull through with a smile on his face in the end.

This time though, she'd been close enough to see the tears welling in his eyes as he'd walked away.


End file.
